Blue Heron Preserve
BURTON, OHIO, USA
Located within the Cuyahoga River watershed, Blue Heron Preserve is a 116 acre park with diverse amenities designed to support environmental education. The site is located on a former sand and gravel mine, providing dramatic grade change and multiple lakes and waterways. Through a series of hiking trails, the site unfolds to the visitor with several refined wood structures along the way. Upon entering the site, a long vista over the property is framed by an open gathering pavilion and an office structure for staff. These structures, built of stone and refined Douglas fir lumber, are expressive in nature and integrate into the natural environment. Further exploration of the site reveals a freestanding viewing pavilion that hovers over the edge of a pond like some water-bird creature. With the roof folding upward like wings, this evocative structure is designed to immerse visitors in the surrounding wetland flora and fauna.
Builder: Metis Construction Services
Photographer: Christian Philips
A process committed to collaboration and exploration.
