THE BLUNN CREEK PRESERVE IN AUSTIN TEXAS IS HOME TO A PLETHORA OF WILD ANIMALS AND TREE SPECIES. EARLY ON IN THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR OUR CLIENTS EDUCATIONAL NATURE CENTRE, WE HAD THIS IDEA OF A TREEHOUSE! A PLACE WHERE AUSTIN STUDENTS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC COULD VISIT AND BE EMERSED WITHIN THE PRESERVES NATURAL BEAUTY. WE ALSO WANTED THE SPACE TO BE A FUN AND INTERACTIVE LEARNING SPACE FOR VISITORS BUT ALSO A GREAT PLACE TO WORK EVERYDAY! THE TREEHOUSE CONCEPT GREW FROM A FEW SITE STUDIES LOOKING AT DAYLIGHTING AND WIND PATTERNS AND FROM THIS DATA WE ALTERED THE SHAPE AND POSITION OF OUR TREEHOUSES TO NOT ONLY HAVE OPTIMAL VIEWS BUT TAKE ADVANTAGES OF PASSIVE COOLING OPPORTUNITIES. THE TREEHOUSES WERE THEN MERGED TOGETHER BY THIS ORGANIC BOARDWALK WHICH CREATED POCKETS OF GREENSPACE AND PRESERVED SIGNFICANT TREES IN THE BUILDING ZONE. THE SENSIBILITIES WE TOOK TO THE SITE WAS ALSO CARRIED THROUGH WITHIN THE INTERIORS WHERE STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS WERE PUT ON DISPLAY TO TEACH CHILDREN NOT ONLY ABOUT THE NATURE PRESERVE BUT ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS PUT IN PLACE FOR THE FACILITY TO OPERATE. THIS PROJECT WAS CREATED WITH A TEAM OF STANTEC INTERNS IN THE GTA.