Evans Tree House Named and Open at Garvan Woodland Gardens
New Tree House Adventure at Garvan
Garvan Woodland Gardens announces the opening of its Evans Tree House within the Evans Children’s
Adventure Garden. The Tree House is suspended within a group of pines and oaks, bending easily between them.
The theme of dendrology, the study of trees and wooded plants, drives both the form and program of the
structure, designed by the Fayetteville-based architecture firm modus studio.
Becca Ohman, Garden Director, said “The vision for the Tree House is to allow children to express
themselves, to test their limits, and to allow them to engage with nature at the most basic level.” Dendrology, or the
scientific study of trees and wooded plants, is the driving theme behind the form, materials, and program of the
structure, which features interpretive learning and artistic elements to aid in teaching the importance of trees in the
environment.
The structure consists of four levels, accessible from the ground and an overhead circular boardwalk. Each
level is based upon a different part of the tree and its function, allowing visitors an intrinsic, almost subconscious,
learning opportunity that builds on the experience.
The first, most basic level focuses on the roots of the tree, and is actually below the Tree House in the Root
Plaza. As users move into the structure, levels represent the various parts of a tree (trunk, branches, leaves, and
fruit/flowers), and each level’s significance in the life cycle of a tree is explained.
Specially treated yellow pine ribs make up the shell encasing the open-air structure, while other
elements, such as the unique “Venatian Screen” on the overlook end of the structure, are made from
metal. The Root Plaza is made of poured concrete with inlaid tiles, while native Arkansas stone abounds
in the surrounding landscape. The Evans Tree House is a part of the larger Evans Children’s Adventure
Garden, completed in 2006. For more information, visit www.garvangardens.org, Facebook: Garvan
Woodland Gardens.
