Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Table, Beam, DeckWhitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, ForestWhitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - ForestWhitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Sofa, Table, BeamWhitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - More Images+ 11

  • Landscape Architect: Ross Altheimer, Travis Van Liere
  • Principal In Charge: Jim Goblirsch
  • Principal Designer: Steven Dwyer
  • Project Manager: Erica Christenson
  • Project Architects: Rob Good
  • Landscape Project Team: Erica Christenson, Trygve Hansen, Nissa Tupper
  • Landscape Architect: Ross Altheimer, ASLA, LEED AP; Travis Van Liere, ASLA
  • Project Manager: Erica Christenson, ASLA
  • Landscape Project Team: Erica Christenson, ASLA; Trygve Hansen, ASLA, LEED AP; Nissa Tupper, ASLA
  • City: Farmington
  • Country: United States
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Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Forest
© Paul Crosby Photography

Text description provided by the architects. Nestled into the hillside of a new regional park within the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, three new camper cabins - built by county employees with the aid of high school students in a vocational training program - weave their way into a stand of pine trees. They serve as a key amenity in the first phase of the parks master plan.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Beam, Chair
© Paul Crosby Photography
Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Image 12 of 16
Cabin Section
Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Sofa, Table, Beam
© Paul Crosby Photography

The concept for the cabins riffs on the idea of a treehouse, but instead makes it accessible to all by building a “house in the trees” entered from a bridge at the crest of the hill along adjacent ski and hiking trails.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Table, Beam, Deck
© Paul Crosby Photography

At 227 square feet with an 80 square foot deck, the cabins provide ample square footage, electricity, lighting, heat and natural ventilation with framed views into the surrounding forest bringing modern comfort to the overnight outdoor adventurer. Two full-size bunks with built-in-storage, dining and sitting areas provide optimized cabin accommodations for four individuals while sleeper sofa and additional folding seating, hidden via built-in-storage, can comfortably accommodate six. The cabins are supported by a bathhouse farther up the hill. 

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Forest
© Paul Crosby Photography

Built on concrete piers to minimize the impact on the surrounding wilderness, the cabins hover between 14 and 16 feet above grade with trees almost at arms-reach, creating privacy and intimacy with the natural environment. Above the concrete pier foundation the structure is comprised of a red cedar glulam chassis, cedar and pine framing depending on visibility and exposure, and red cedar cladding throughout.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Forest
© Pete VonDeLinde

Dark cedar shingles on the exterior blend seamlessly with the beauty of the pine forest, in which it is situated while the interior is stained naturally to create an immersive warm environment. Floor-to-ceiling glass at the deck frames the forest, creating a focal centerpiece from the interior.

Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers - Windows, Forest
© Pete VonDeLinde

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Project location

Address:Whitetail Woods Regional Park, 17100 Station Trail, Farmington, MN 55024, United States

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Whitetail Woods Regional Park Camper Cabins / HGA Architects and Engineers" 04 Dec 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/608037/whitetail-woods-regional-park-camper-cabins-hga-architects-and-engineers> ISSN 0719-8884

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