An educator in the landscape : a new identity for American wilderness architecture

Abstract

This thesis dispenses with the traditional, now nostalgic, "rustic" style typically associated with the American wilderness, in favor of proposing a new identity - that of Educator in the Landscape. By blending bio-technology and local materials with a new architectural strategy, the resulting typology would serve as an interactive exhibition of the potential use of natural systems in the wilderness. The goal is to create as strong an architectural resonance with today's hiker as the rustic had for the wilderness visitor 200 years ago.