WILDERNESS LODGE DESIGN COMPETITION

Scattergood Design’s entry in the Maine Mass Timber Design Competition was among 15 boards on display at the Maine Mass Timber Conference at the University of Maine in Orono on October 11, 2018.   The program and site for this year’s ideas competition was a four-season Wilderness Lodge—providing meals and lodging to backcountry hikers, bikers, and skiers exploring Maine’s woods, lakes, and mountains—part of the Maine Huts & Trails system in the Carabassett Valley.  The goal was testing implementation of mass timber technologies, which holds great promise for the Maine’s forestry and manufacturing economy. 

Scattergood’s entry was developed in collaboration with Soren Deniord of Soren Deniord Design Studio and Tom Delaney.  Our design statement follows:

Lean-tos of windblown or hand-hewn timber poles have been built in diverse cultures for centuries.  In Maine, native peoples, early European settlers, children and wilderness explorers have valued their simplicity, shelter and ease of construction. 

These 21stcentury lean-tos exploit the full potential of mass timber to create a dramatic and welcoming outdoor experience, while minimizing impact on the site and surroundings during construction and beyond. 

Separating the program into four components allows the Wilderness Lodge to embrace the dynamics of natural phenomena throughout the seasons. The Lodge is the focus, oriented east-west to maximize solar exposure for the 45-degree, south-facing roof plane. Sliding volumes adapt to the topography and site features, capturing solar orientation and views.  A welcoming deck leads to the central circulation space joining the dining/gathering/social activity space with support services.  A library/gathering space overlooks the circulation hall, with staff quarters adjacent.

The three Dormitories fan around the Lodge; organized to take advantage of sloped topography, ‘thumb-printed’ amongst existing trees / rock outcroppings.

A single, prefabricated 7-ply Cross-Laminated Timber panel, 50 feet long and 10 feet tall, forms the “backbone” and leads guests from the lodge to their bunkrooms.

The CLT spine is reinforced by lateral (abutting) site-bolted CLT decks.

LVL framing provides triangulation and an outer support system for the 50-75 R-value RockWool “cocoon.

Cedar shingles form the outer surface, with metal roofing on the steep slope.

The dormitory lean-to’s can be built with or without “saddlebags” for toilets, sinks and showers, as well as equipment storage.

The dramatic bunk rooms—accessed through discrete openings in the “backbone”—can be configured with 2 to 6 beds.

Low windows offer views at bunk level, and clerestory windows within the spine provide natural light and cross-ventilation. 

CLT sizes selected are the most economic modules.The abandoned logging roads that access the site will need rehabilitation for reliable servicing of the complex. Once stream crossings are elevated, the truck delivering the 50-foot-long CLT panels should negotiate the topography.

Thermally-broken, double-framed, well-insulated walls, floors and roofs minimize heating needs in winter months. The design incorporates many of the off-grid, year-round mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems that have proven records in the Maine Huts and Trails system—a wood gasification boiler with glycol loop distribution;  radiant floors;  energy recovery units;  composting toilets; solar hot water and photovoltaic panels;  and rainwater harvesting.