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Multi-use building for a summer camp
We used a traditional Japanese wood preservation technique called Shou Sugi Ban on the post and beam structure of this building. The wood was surface burned with propane torches to create a layer of char, which both preserves the wood and gives the building a stark, striking appearance. Japanese Cedar was traditionally the wood of choice for this treatment, but we found that local Eastern Hemlock worked very well. After the burn process the char was wire brushed and treated with several coats of tung oil, to clean and seal the surface.
This unheated, uninsulated pavilion contains 1800 sq ft and is used for activities and events at Camp Waldo (https://appheadwaters.org/program/camp-waldo/) in Summers County WV. All the wood for the structure, panels, and flooring was locally sourced - the floor is Red Oak, the sliding panels are White Oak, and the structural frame and ceiling is Eastern Hemlock. The roof material is a traditional ceramic roofing tile, which we imported from Japan.
Along all 4 walls of the building are sliding panels, which can be fully opened to create a space that feels integrated with the fields and trees outside. Fixed screen panels keep insects out when the sliding panels are open and a large overhang keeps the space dry. A continuous perimeter threshold of Virginia Soapstone slopes to the outside to drain any moisture that makes it to the surface of the panels.
A large wrap-around deck built of Black Locust sourced from North Carolina provides a fair weather extension to the interior event space.
