AS DEPICTED in this concept rendering, the Berkeley Tuolumne Camp will be rebuilt using FSC-certified California redwood for nearly all of its 90+ structures, including its covered deck of its Recreation Hall. (Photos courtesy Liza McNulty, City of Berkeley, Ca.)
Redwood to the rescue Historic camp rebuilds with redwood 1 , the 0-acre Berkeley Tuolumne Camp in the Stanislaus National Forest welcomed more than ,000 campers annually for fun-filled activities and traditions. Tragically, the camp was largely destroyed by the 01 Rim Fire. After years of fundraising, negotiations with insurers, local and federal agencies, and lengthy planning and permitting processes, the reconstruction broke ground last une. The reconstruction project is slated to take about two years—and just shy of a half-million board feet of California redwood. City of Berkeley project manager Liza McNulty said the city has worked for seven years with many partners, including the U.S. Forest Service, state O ce of Emergency Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp, to bring the camp back to life for the next generation of campers. Siegel Strain Architects is the lead design firm on the project, tasked
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STEADY SUPPLY of redwood timbers is being shipped to the camp by dealer Sonora Lumber, Sonora, Ca.
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with designing camp facilities including a new dining hall, recreation hall, camper and staff cabins, maintenance structure, pedestrian bridges, parking and loading areas, and other infrastructure. The camp buildings and landscape have been designed to evoke the rustic spirit of the old camp, while using contemporary construction methods to meet modern building codes. Critical to the city and its many stakeholders was that the building materials come from sustainable sources. The old camp was largely built with old-growth wood timbers; the new design also calls for a heavy use of wood to maintain the original aesthetic. Berkeley committed to using Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood whenever possible on the project. With that requirement in mind, the project is incorporating redwood lumber and timbers from umboldt Sawmill in the design of its nearly 100 different structures. “We have redwood in virtually every building—including structural memBuilding-Products.com
