Heartwood

The heartwood is the central supporting pillar of the tree. Although dead it will not decay or lose strength while the outer layers are intact. The heartwood controls everything. It is the epicenter. The history of the arboretum dates back to lumber whether it be logging, testing or nurseries. How can that simple object being lumber, drive the entire concept. Looking at a cross section of a log, you can see the age. You can see the tree rings. And in the center, the heartwood. Using the panning tree rings as a symbol for the program, my site is situated in the heartwood of the Wind River Arboretum.

When stationed on this site in the 1900’s, CCC workers did not have many options for recreation. They had to be creative. Most of their days were filled with eating, drinking, conversating and sitting by the fire on a cold night. How can that historic program be reimagined with modern tools? How can the economy of the Stabler area be awakened?

The heartwood site acts as a outdoor recreation mecca. On the edge of a decommissioned forest road that leads to the PCT, there is plenty room for hiking, biking and camping. Don’t want to rough it? Stay at the hotel and go sit by the fire while still feeling lost in the woods. Out of town visitors, locals and outdoor enthusiasts alike have a home at heartwood.

Using the circular forms of tree rings and tree canopies, the design is inferred through those curvilinear patterns. The heartwood branches out in to different rings/program.