The Sustainability Treehouse, a Living Building Challenge targeted interpretive and gathering facility situated in the forest at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, serves as a unique icon of camp adventure, environmental stewardship and innovative building design. Mithun led the integrated design process and a multidisciplinary team to achieve the engaging, high‐performance facility.
Photography by © Joe Fletcher
The Treehouse provides dynamic educational and gathering spaces for exploring and understanding the site and ecosystem at the levels of ground, tree canopy, and sky. The towering Corten steel frame elevates visitors to extraordinary vantages and provides an armature for green building systems, such as photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and a large cistern and water cleansing system. Interactive exhibits showcase and celebrate sustainable technologies.Overall, the Treehouse captures the waonder of childhood exploration and places environmental education at the forefront of meaningful experiences and camp messages for thousands of annual visitors to take home.
Photography by © Joe Fletcher
Project Info:
Location: Glen Jean, United States
Area: 3357 ft²
Year: 2013
Manufacturers: Spectrum Lighting, Artistar Lighting, Atlas Steel, B-K Lighting, Dovetail Solar & Wind, Eco Wood Stain, Rainwater Management Solutions, Selux, UGE
Lighting Design: Dave Nelson & Associates
MEP Engineer: Integral Group
Geotechnical: S&ME
Contractor: Swope Construction
Structural Engineering: Tipping Mar + Associates
Landscape Architect: Nelson Byrd Woltz
Exhibit Design: Volume Inc, Studio Terpeluk
Code Consultant: FP&C Consultants
Client: Trinity Works
Site Area: 10,000 acres
Executive Architect/Architect Of Record: BNIM
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial