Design
Burkett Farm: WholeTrees is excited to produce sustainably harvested black locust trusses for the Burkett Farm outside Cary, North Carolina. The mission of the farm is to provide a gathering space that provides a learning and educational environment for strengthening local food systems.
Architect: REdesign.build
GC: REdesign.build
Engineer: KPFF Seattle
Franklin Park Zoo: The Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, Massachusetts, enrichment trees, or trees with fabricated branching designed to carry the load of adult gorillas. In addition to these fabricated trees, WholeTrees is also producing interior wood wraps and a prominent structural column at the viewing shelter for this exhibit
*Image Credit: WholeTrees Enrichment Tree Concept Drawing
Architect: PJA
GC: Columbia Construction Company
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Madison Children's Museum: WholeTrees is currently working with Design Coalition to construct a playscape at the Madison Children’s Museum, which will include several platform structures built out of locally-harvested tree columns that are woven together by ramps, climbing structures, and custom staircases.
Architect: Design Coalition
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Naytahwaush Health Center: WholeTrees is proud to partner with DSGW Architects to produce an entrance structure and interior atrium installation for the White Earth Nation’s health center in Naytahwaush, MN.
Architect: DSGW
GC: White Earth Builders
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Lincoln Park Zoo: WholeTrees is proud to produce several beauty trees that will be installed at the Lincoln Park Zoo. This project was an exciting opportunity for the team to scan and model the trees to provide allow for the design team to select and place the exact trees that will be installed on site.
Architect: PJA
GC: COST of Wisconsin
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Children's Museum of Eau Claire: WholeTrees has partnered with Steinberg Hart and KPFF to create a two-story structural round timber system for the Eau Claire Children’s Museum. The structure will be composed of our engineered bowstring truss and girders carried by a mix of 15’ and 30’ WholeTree ash columns. Construction for this project is set to begin late 2021.
Architect: Steinberg Hart
GC: Market&Johnson
Engineer: ERA
Engineer: KPFF
Production
Lincoln Park Zoo: WholeTrees has completed the fabrication for the trees that will be installed at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Architect: PJA
GC: COST of Wisconsin
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Franklin Park Zoo: The WholeTrees fabrication team has begun the sourcing, processing, and preliminary fabrication for the interior elements and enrichment trees to be delivered and installed to the Franklin Park Zoo this summer.
Architect: PJA
GC: Columbia Construction Company
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Living Desert Zoo: Description
Architect: CLR Design
GC: Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Install
Oregon Zoo Chimpanzee Tower: WholeTrees has produced two white oak and black locust climbing structures for 13 chimpanzees at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon. Each structure is about 18' into the air. These structures were produced at our production facility in Westby, Wisconsin prior to being shipped to the zoo in Oregon.
Architect: CLR Design
GC: Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Finish Shots
AVA Hollywood: This sculptural beauty tree is the focal point of the entrance of an apartment building in Los Angeles. A swiveling steel base will elevate the branches and the entire tree will be lit from below. What a dynamic statement and interesting use of natural materials. We love this biophilic design.
Architect: GroundLevel Landscape Architecture
GC: Gothic Landscape Construction
MHA Amphitheater: The Interpretive Center for the MHA Nations is completed and slated for Grand Opening on May 19, 2021.
Architect: DSGW Architecture
GC: (Link to GC): Woodstone Inc.
Engineer: Engineering Ventures
Current Events in the Wood World and WholeTrees in the News
Ten Female CEOs Improving the World: CEO and Co-Founder, Amelia Baxter, is featured in this article highlighting female CEOs making strides in forward thinking business. After years of “business as usual” being that of domination, competition, false scarcity, inequity, and putting profit over people and the planet, there is a hunger rising. People are craving businesses that are compassionate, collaborative, cooperative, focused on elevating and empowering local economies, forging equity and human wholeness, and regenerating the resources used for manufacturing. We are proud to be a Certified B Corporation and are proud to be featured in such a powerful article.
Holidays at the La Crosse Bandshell: The La Crosse bandshell is a prominent structure on the Mississippi river and stands proudly as a testament to WholeTrees. Pictured here is the bandshell decorated for the 2020 Holiday season.
New Season, New Faces: WholeTrees welcomes several new staff members to the team. Please help welcome Sam Anderson- Architectural Project Manager, Richard Senior- Architectural Sales Representative, Ivan Vielma- Operations Manager, and Chelsea Duckworth - Executive and Office Assistant. As WholeTrees grows, so too does our family.
Former Operations Manager Elected as Mayor of La Crosse: WholeTrees would like to congratulate Mitch Reynolds, former Operations Manager at WholeTrees for his successful campaign for Mayor of La Crosse. WholeTrees relied on Reynolds for many years to act as a pivotal resource within our organization and he will be deeply missed. Best of luck, Mitch!
Architectural Record Features Blakely Elementary: We want everyone to know how absolutely thrilled we were to find a four-page feature on Blakely Elementary in the January issue of Architectural Record. We supplied Structural Round Timber (SRT) columns used in both interior and exterior applications for the new school construction project designed by Mithun, engineered by PCS Structural Solutions, and built by FORMA Construction. We think the project turned out great and we're humbled that AR's editors agree.
Sustainable Forestry Investment Club:
Fletcher Studio's Designs Better Place Forests: Better Place Forests is creating the first sustainable alternative to cemeteries by turning some of the most beautiful places in America into protected spreading forests. Instead of a tombstone, ashes are incorporated into the soil around a tree. Fletcher Studio is the prime consultant that is presently planning and designing all of the spreading forest locations in California. Our plan defines a threshold between the more public areas and the memorial forests. Our most visible work—the visitors center, memorial, vista point and parking—are found within the public area. Within the forests we worked with conservators and trail builders to create the network of trails and openings. It was all done with a lot of intention and thoughtfulness, but within the forests, we were really guided by the nature of the landscape.
Installation time lapse of the new Chimapanzee exhibit at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR.
WholeTrees supplied columns fabricated from site-sourced trees for this new school in Lake Oswego, Oregon. We wholeheartedly share the sentiment expressed in this short video.