When Advanced Woodworking students began brainstorming project ideas at the start of the year, they imagined a cool, outdoor, community space. 

"We were just thinking about more places to hang out outside, especially in the nice weather in spring and fall," says Treyton Messman '22. "We really liked the tree house idea, so we went from there." 

In addition to Treyton, Trey Sheeler '23, Gabe Borsuk '23, and Roshen Gandotra '23 form the team of students conceptualizing a possible tree house on the Merle-Smith Campus. Right now, their plans are just an idea, but their design will be sound if the opportunity ever arises to build it. 

The students have been working on a model to scale, taking into consideration the logistics of an outside structure that would be useful for the school community. Their idea involves open concept plans with "a lot of area for a picnic bench, chairs, and tables, so students could do homework outside," with a roof to shield its occupants from rain.

The roof design is inspired by Japanese architecture, and with the perfect spot in mind between two trees, students can envision platforms connected by a bridge to "add an extra cool bit of architectural design." 

Creativity, vision, and technical skill were necessary to create a small model of their big idea, making it just a bit easier to imagine a tree house on the Merle-Smith Campus.