These exhibits are housed within Mithun’s NetZero Sustainability Treehouse, an iconic structure lofted within the densely forested Boy Scout adventure center of West Virginia coined The Summit. The project was designed as an interactive and playful toolset for examining concepts of sustainability.  Each level of the structure houses unique exhibits that promote critical thought and actionable sustainable practices through engaged interaction.

With an arborist we carefully selected and felled an oak tree within the local forest.  The tree was sliced in half and suspended with the building, serving as a model for closed-loop regenerative processes such as water, energy, and resource conservation

The project is imprinted by the simple pleasure of a small gathering bathed in a warm glow.  One feels intimately connected to the open kitchen and open-fired hearth, set within a palette of rich autumnal colored wall tiles, soapstone, and black iron. The unfinished wooden box framing the dining room serves as a neutral and humble container, capturing the richness and complexity of the culinary theatre.  Radiating out from the dining room are layers of redwood screens and dense vegetation, designed to partially screen outside views and focus the energy on the sanctity of the dining experience.