Spread laterally along a creek bed in the shadows of an oak mott, Big Tree Camp is an urban-based family’s rural retreat. The house allows them to re-connect with the outdoors and closely follow the cycles of days and seasons. Operational devices including gear-driven louvers, roll-up canvases, and large pocketing glass doors open and close the structure. Interior spaces including three kid cabins, a central pavilion for cooking, dining, and gathering, as well as a master suite can open to accept the southern summer breeze. Screened galleries, a large screened porch for living and dining, and exterior showers allow the family to live almost entirely outside.
A century old oak tree on axis with the entry marks the approach and shades the main glass pavilion and screened living room. The crossing east-west corridor is bookended by an elevated hearth and trickling water feature charging the axis with sensory stimulation. These forced encounters, perceptually changing with the seasons, invigorate the mind during daily rituals.
