Title: Robinson Preserve NEST
Location of Proejct: Bradenton, FL
Project Completion Date: 2018
Firm Name: Houser Walker Architecture

Short Description: Nestled into what was previously the largest private plant nursery in Florida, the Robinson Nature Preserve NEST building expands the 450 acre Bradenton, FL park, Located on a 20 acre breeding ground for exotic tree species, Manatee County desired to build an environmental education center that would connect visitors to the Preserve’s unique ecology, as well as host school groups, retreats, and other functions. Our design for the 2,250sf structure creates a modern day treehouse, connected to an accessible canopy walk and nearby walking and riding trails. Located proximate to the Gulf of Mexico, the structure is ecologically resilient.

Architect's Statement: The Mosaic Center for Nature, Exploration, Science and Technology or “NEST” building is located in the 450 acre Robinson Nature Preserve, a unique ecological site located in Bradenton, FL. Occurring at the southern entry of where the Gulf of Mexico enters into Tampa Bay, the Preserve features a mixture of marshlands, shallow lakes, dunescapes, a continuous mangrove buffer on its western edge, and a network of trails that allow visitors to better understand western Florida’s fragile ecological systems.

Program areas for the building center around hosting a variety of events, ranging from mobile classroom instruction to Saturday morning yoga classes to summer camps. The final set of spaces includes 3 discreet teaching areas, of different sizes, that can open to one another; an observation tower; playscapes integrated into building and surrounding walkway; connection to the park’s trail system, and attending service spaces. A continuous deck surrounding the structure connects to an accessible walkway and canopy walk winding through the sites trees. The 2,250sf structure would be complimented by a new office building in the future.

Site constraints included meeting a recently established FEMA flood plain elevation of +11’ from the building grade (a height challenged and met during Hurricane Irma, which directly struck the site in 2019), determining prevailing wind patterns, and identifying and accounting for subsurface anomalies – typical of the Preserve, there are a number of underground caverns, cavities, and sinkholes.

Our design approach began by clarifying the existing 20 acre landscape and determining which native and invasive species would remain. Large, mature banyan trees were kept; Austrian pines that had multiplied out of control were removed. This process revealed two small areas within the dense canopy which seemed possible to build on. The final location situates the structure within a section dominated by banyan and live oak trees, providing sweeping views of the restored wetlands, freshwater ponds and mangrove islands in the Preserve.

Materially and tectonically, the building required a foundation that could create a ‘raft’ for a secondary structure above. Concrete piers were connected above the flood elevation like an elevated grade beam, with each pier location tested to ensure they were not falling into a subsurface cavity or cavern. Above the concrete structure is a fully wood framed structure, with eight telephone poles providing the backbone that the web of cypress timber framing is built around. Geometrically, the building utilizes Euclidian geometries that create an apparently amorphous shape. A central and centering octagon is complemented by pinwheeling pentagons that build off edge dimensions. Reclaimed wood recovered from regional rivers and lakes, elemental materials like copper that will age well in the salt air environment, and a solar ‘chimney’ that doubles as an observation tower are key features. Designed to meet LEED 3.0 Gold certification levels, the building allows for extensive cross ventilation and provides nearly continuous daylight to all spaces.