Austin, Texas, USA
Situated within a hill country preserve, the Net-Zero, One Water, SITES Gold, Urban Night Sky Place, and 100% off-grid design of the Campsite was conceived out of the natural elements: wind, sun, water, and land. The program for a children’s nature-immersion camp includes 11 screened sleeping structures, an open-air pavilion with kitchen and dining room, showers, and 4 evaporative toilet facilities. Materials were carefully selected that will age nobly with the natural context.
Campsite at Shield Ranch by Andersson/Wise Architects, won an American Architecture Award 2025 from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
Much of the fabrication for these structures was completed off-site and then installed carefully within the project construction boundaries. There is an integrated Solar Energy System with roof slopes angled for optimum solar gain. The facility runs a Public Water Supply System and is the first TCEQ-approved PWSS that solely utilizes rainwater to serve its guests. Water tanks, totaling approximately 60,000 gallons, are dedicated to rainwater catchment. Campsite has the first OSSF permitted in the area that utilizes the waterless Enviro Loo toilets.
Architects: Andersson/Wise Architects
Design Team: Arthur Andersson, Christian Wise, Robin Logan, Justin Dill, and Samantha Gutteridge
Landscape Architects: TenEyck Landscape Architects
General Contractor: Hill & Wilkinson Construction Group Ltd.
Client: Shield Ranch Foundation
Photographers: Leonid Furmansky
