In early in 2007 Georgia Tech identified a campus need for a ropes style “challenge course” as a vehicle for conducting on-campus team building exercises. Occupying a prominently visible location, pre-engineered designs presented to the owner, based on utilizing timber construction, were rejected as not compatible with the overall design ethos of the Institute. As such, Houser Walker Architecture and Jacobs were hired to create new, more ‘appropriate’ designs.
The basic tower configuration consists of stock steel shapes forming a ‘frame’ that accommodates different course “events” and configurations. An outer cladding layer comprised of standard, sustainably harvested ipe wood profiles surrounds each tower. The wood screening orientation and sizing was attuned to act as a sunscreen for participants on the course, frame different pieces of infrastructure, or provide views towards iconic views of Midtown and Downtown. Capping each tower is a ‘light box’ comprised of recycled plastic billboard fabric, with an easy install assembly for eventual replacement/recycling.
Phase II for the project added a new storage pavilion and outdoor classroom area to the site. Hosting course orientations, classes, and external functions, the pavilion combines the steel framing and ipe cladding of the towers with a ‘solar umbrella’ of reflective panels that admit light but repel heat.
The project was awarded NIRSA's 2013 Project of the Year.
