The Way Through The Woods
They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath,
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.
Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods.
But there is no road through the woods.
Rudyard Kipling
The focus of the Poetry Retreat was a translation of words into an abstraction. Given the site of a well organized orchard to house three writers at work, I chose a poem relating to man's relationship with nature. Kipling's poem illustrates how man conquers nature, paving their way through the trees, and once they pass, nature will attempt to return to its original state, but there will always be a mark. The question this posed for me was one of permanent assimilation, how can man and nature live harmoniously and synchronously?
Preliminary Sketches
The structure was to be in the trees, therefore it should be shaped by the trees. The perfect organization of the orchard allowed for the outlining of the trees into a grid that would define the program. The outlined trees would be replanted to literally embody Kipling's way through the woods, creating a dense wall defining the entry path. As though they were replacing the moved trees, pilotis held up the structure and, as Corbusier would enjoy, allowed for an adaptable floor plan and ribbon windows. The structure was therefore raised a floor off the ground to represent the tree tops, which allowed for a grounded courtyard, uninterrupted nature lined by the hall of pilotis.
Parti
The plan incorporated three studio bedrooms, two bathrooms, two outdoor workspaces, and two lounge spaces. Circulation would wrap around the grid, creating a climbing journey as each room stepped up slightly, or one could access the upper workspace and third studio directly with the stair. The lower workspace was lowered, creating a potentially interactive space with the smaller two studios and upper workspace.
Digital Model Renderings
Way Through the Orchard
Corbusier's Influence
Hall of Pilotis
Physical Study Model
1' = 1/16"
