Located in Apex, NC at Jordan Lake State Recreational Area, this project is on a dense forest of loblolly pines and home to a variety of flora and fauna. Most notably, Jordan Lake is known for its bald eagle and egret population. We were tasked with creating a new observation deck and Audubon Center for the secluded area. When visiting the site, there were clear overlapping elements - from the leaves of the trees to the dense forest bed of pine straw, clay, and tree roots as well as multiple transitional qualities in all directions - from rock to water and tree canopy to sky. Creating a path that creates directionality while taking you from one transitional zone of the forest to another was a driving force in this design.

In the approach, a large ramp allows access to the elevated walking path that takes the visitor to the height of the tree canopy and points out into the landscape toward the lake. This height can also allow the visitor to have more bird sightings and experience a new layer of the forest through a maze of winding decks. Below and punching through the elevated path are stacked boxes of program that overlap each other and, like the forest, blur the boundaries between transitional spaces. The materiality is made from cedar wood and translucent polycarbonate insulation panels that allow light in while exposing the structure inside.