CAMP GRAHAM At a lakeside camp, where tented and cabin campsites are proven

Architects
attractions, the Girl Scouts set out to add a different sort of
Weinstein Friedlein Architects
shelter. They wanted treehouses, something to evoke the sense
Location
of adventure, fantasy, delight found in the lofty constructs of
Henderson, NC, United States
backyards and forest getaways. The new 36-person site at Camp
Area
Graham consists of a series of pole structures along the woods
2850.0 ft2
edge, linked by an elevated path that winds among the trunks of
Project Year
the native trees. The challenge in treehouse making is to build
2015
without doing harm to the trees, and to extend access to all
Photographs
campers
Mark Herboth Photography LLC
Manufacturers The Camp Graham structures are supported on tall wood poles
Trex, NICHIHA that lightly touch the ground. They lean toward one another
amid the surrounding, irregular tree trunks, becoming part of
the forest. These frames are draped in canopies that combine
both solid and translucent materials, which playfully catch or
transmit the dappled sunlight that makes its way through the
natural tree canopy. Each of the all-weather shelters
accommodates six campers in bunks and cots, and each one
includes a daylit central core, a place for playful mingling. The
stick-framed forms soar overhead, reaching up to the branches
of the trees that surround. The edges of end panels and floor
boards stop short, allowing screened slots to naturally ventilate
the space.