DEVIL’S PUNCHBOWL NATURE CENTER

Devil’s Punchbowl is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. In September 2020, the Bobcat Fire devastated the site, scorching thousands of acres of desert vegetation as well as the 57-year-old nature center. The remains from the disaster have come to support crucial remnants of desert life. One of our frameworks for conceptualizing the site is the manzanita, and our fascination with this plant species stems from its striking exterior and growth cycle. This plant has adapted to fire for centuries, protecting its seeds below the soil’s surface. With exposure to heat, the seeds begin their germination process and a new manzanita takes root, breaking through the surface after devastation. We considered the manzanita and scorched landscape with reverence in our holistic design of the new nature center.

The proposed architecture takes a similar approach to the seeds of the manzanita plant - following the original nature center’s destruction by fire, this 3,300 SF new structure will begin to grow, emerging from the ground through a process of rebirth. Here, the architecture becomes the manzanita, where the rich red coloring expresses its new life, growth and strength, all while being entangled with and (in)formed by the skeleton of the past. These design concepts therefore introduce a type of architecture that does not distract from the landscape, but is integrated with it. The building remains minimal while still providing the visitors with a new experience that is unique to the Punchbowl and its breathtaking canyon rim.