December 2nd, 2009
Kids with special illnesses, disabilities, and other challenges received a new toy this summer at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Georgia. Designed by Amy Leathers, senior associate at Lord, Aeck & Sargent, the treehouse serves as a play area and educational space for learning about nature and sustainability. It’s wheelchair accessible and outfitted with a number of environmentally-sensitive features.
The treehouse has a 1,700 square-foot roof garden, domed skylights, 1.4 kW solar array that powers the ceiling fans and misting system, two composting toilets, and a foundation built from wooden telephone poles.
Ms. Leathers’ plan was selected from a total of six designs submitted by architects within Lord, Aeck & Sargent‘s Atlanta, Ann Arbor, and Chapel Hill offices. Her design was driven by Camp Twin Lakes’ requirements for a space that was wheelchair accessible, hidden in the trees, built with enclosed and screened spaces, and cooled by fans.
Also, students in an introductory sculpture class at Savannah College of Art and Design transformed old telephone poles into totem poles of various animals and elements of nature. The totem poles were placed along the trail leading to the treehouse and two sculptures mark the entry into the new structure.
Photo credits: © 2009 Jonathan Hillyer Photography.
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