Westwood, Mass – LaFreniere Architects announced that ground has broken on the new Powissett Lodge at Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA. The new structure replaces the former lodge building which was tragically lost to fire a year ago. The building is sited near to Noanet Pond within the beautiful preserved reservation.
The new structure will be used to house day-camp, and scouting activities within its large function hall. The function hall, kitchen and bathroom facilities will also serve as event space for additional activities associated with the camp.
The structure employs heavy-timber construction, leaving trusses and wood structure exposed. The building will be rustic in appearance, in keeping with the reservation’s vernacular, and includes clerestory fenestration and large areas of glazing to bring abundant natural light into the space. The design allows for expansion in future phases to include potential additional classroom spaces and meeting areas.
Within a very short time frame, the construction and design team including: LaFreniere Architects, Spectrum System Builders, and Johnson Structural Engineering, was assembled to create a new design and start construction on the lodge so as to minimize the impact on this year’s summer activities and programs. Completion of the first phase is anticipated in mid June.
Hale Reservation Director, Eric Arnold, says that the rebuilding of Powissett Lodge is critical to Hale’s mission to provide access to nature and camp activities to thousands of school-age children and their families, and that the new structure will be an improvement on the former lodge building. Each year Hale provides camp programming attended by several thousand children daily and is open to visitors for hiking, fishing, and recreational activities.