This project, located on the summit of a small, New England hill, is a lookout tower for viewing the stars at night and taking in the immense views of the Connecticut River Valley by day. Embracing the aesthetic of the historically relevant fire towers that populate the nation’s countryside, Light and Air designed a structure that is simple, bold and muscular. Built out of steel and wood, the tower rises fifty feet to a cantilevered observation deck where a small, primitive hut is perched. The architecture is modest - sensitive to Vermont’s vernacular building traditions.
As one circulates upwards, stair landings project outwards beyond the tower’s structural frame, dramatically suspending visitors within the forest canopy. Douglas Fir, heavy timber mortise and tenon connections define the aesthetic interior of the hut, whose exposed timber structure was erected in a single day and sized accordingly to withstand substantial winds located at sixty feet above the ground.
The hut is not connected to any electrical grid. It uses solar power for elementary electricity. The space is heated by a wood burning stove, and cooled by natural ventilation enhanced by operable clerestory windows that produce a natural stack effect in order to circulate air. The space is intended for events, or solitary contemplation. A secret folly, hidden in the dense, northern landscape.
