Austin TX · with Mell Lawrence Architects · 2019-2021
view from bridge · Casey Dunn
As part of the redesign of Kingsbury Commons led by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, the Tree House offers Pease Park visitors an immersive experience of the tree canopy, creating a place for both rambunctious play and quiet reflection for people of all ages and abilities.
Accessed by a pathway tucked into the hillside, the structure emerges from the forest along the main trail through the park. On the upper level, a large net invites visitors to pause and look up at the surrounding flora and fauna. Below, stone blocks and landscaping loosely define a gathering space under the net. On the hillside, a series of ramps and a steel bridge provide a fully accessible path between the two levels.
The Tree House is open to the elements and engages all the senses - the sun provides warmth in the winter, leaves offer shade in the summer, the wind blows through. It carves out an elevated, occupiable void in the forest - as the canopy densifies over the years, the space will be defined more by the surrounding trees than the structure itself. A vertical lattice of rebar forms a reed-like enclosure, participating in the shadow play of the forest.
The client prompt was seemingly simple - a tree house in the park. But through an intensive process of facilitating client meetings, we discovered a deeper desire - to celebrate and engage the incredible forests of the park and make them accessible to all. As Project Manager, I shepherded this project from Pre-Design through Construction Administration. I worked closely with the Principal Architect and the landscape architect team to generate iterative design solutions. I managed all aspects of documentation and successfully facilitated Construction Administration from out-of-state during the Covid pandemic.
Project Team
Landscape Architect
Structural Engineering
Construction
Photography
Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
Architectural Engineers Collaborative
Harvey-Cleary
Leonid Furmansky + Casey Dunn