Architecture

The exterior of the building also captures pockets of snow, making it a part of the architecture. In winter, the rounded form is inundated by a wave of snow, but the entrance is strategically located so the prevailing wind helps clear it of snow. The building's outer shell consists of massive blocks of wood stacked in a ring, and broad gaps between the blocks catch drifting snow, inviting it to become part of the facade. The seemingly simple building form thus becomes a snow sculpture enlivened by the passing seasons, and those seasons become essential to the building's raison d'etre.

This snow trap becomes the primary attraction of the interior in late winter/early spring: the glass walls reveal a cross-section of sedimentary layers of snowfall. Behind the cold glass of the untempered entrance hall, visitors can track the changes in the snowpack as though in a laboratory. Melting and collapsing against the warmed glass of the other spaces, the disappearing wall of snow provides them with a unique scene.
When the last of the snow has gone, the courtyard becomes a pleasant space for gathering - either in small groups intimately clustered around the open fire or a troop of hikers preparing to trek out into the nature preserve. The smoke from the fire keeps mosquitoes and gnats at bay.