Three summer cabins that now stand in the Girl Scouts of Utah (GSU) Trefoil Ranch Camp are a product of a partnership between GSU and the School of Architecture at the University of Utah.
The project aimed to raise awareness of careers in the AEC industry for women and to provide opportunities for architecture students to engage in service-learning projects.
As an important part of the community process, the cabins were designed collectively with the architects, client, students and other parties including the Scouts.
The cabins were built using Cross Laminated Timber as the major building material and structural system. Project partner Euclid Timber Frame PC offered expertise on natural building methods using no glues, binders, adhesives, or products with volatile organic compounds. The Integrated Technology in Architecture Center provided research support.
Using wood makes the cabins highly sustainable since the locally-sourced material has been damaged by pine beetle infestation prevalent in the American West. This wood is not usable in traditional stick-frame construction and currently stands dead in the forest increasing the risk of wildfires.
PROJECT DETAILS
IMAGES: Jörg Rügemer
