This Semester’s Project and Site Visit | August 23
Following the AIA-AAH SAR conference, we took a day trip to North Carolina for a site visit where we learned that the big focus for our fall studio project is to design a critical access center and campus in Lake Lure, NC. This presents a challenging and exciting opportunity to rethink how healthcare can serve a rural community while responding to the natural landscape.
Our project site tells a story of resilience and rebuilding after Hurricane Helene. Surrounded by a golf course, forested walking trails, and a hilly landscape, the site offers both challenges and opportunities for design. We began our site visit by hiking the Dittmer-Watts Nature Trail to better understand the landscape.
After finishing the hiking trail, we gathered as a group to debrief and discuss the project details. Our faculty, David Allision and Scott Rawlings led a conversation about the site’s opportunities and constraints, encouraging students to share first impressions and design ideas for how healthcare could integrate with the surrounding landscape.
Not only was this day trip a good way to get familiar with our new studio project, but it also allowed the team to get to know one another as the school year begins!
