Treetop Refuge rehabilitates a second-growth forest on a former sheep farm in the hills of Milan, New York where a contemporary concrete and glass house frames long views of sunrise over the Berkshire Mountains and sunset over the Catskills. Hiking trails invite visitors along pathways to discover the magical fern dells, stone walls, and old oaks which recall the open fields which once characterized the site. A woodland pool sits within a secluded meadow at the bottom of a long staircase through a steep, sloping woods. 

The woodland is made up of oaks, hickories, and pines which have colonized eroded sheep paddocks abandoned after the opening of the Erie Canal in the 1830's. A nutrient-poor soil mix and adapted plant palette heal the newly constructed landscape into the surrounding low-nutrient woodland. 

In collaboration with Thomas Phifer and Partners.