“If we believe that the wetlands are a critical component of our existence, we will value them. If we value them, we will take actions to understand and preserve them. I think it is important that we as students and teachers search for ways of intervening and/or interacting with the wetlandscape in a manner that both enhances our understanding of it and aids in its recovery, rather than adding to its demise.

Through a combination of actual field experience and critical analysis of the wetlandscape, our understanding of nature's inherent design begins. It is the position of studiEAUX that our understanding of nature's inherent design grows when we interact with nature by testing our own designs in its milieu. By engaging in the process of design, what we could not see and understand prior to the process becomes revealed. Questions that we could not ask before present themselves to us.” - Onizieme Mouton

Mimicking the strong perspective of studiEAUX, this project is centered around offering a research refuge that allows students and educators to challenge their notions of the wetlandscape by coming, by seeing, and by being an active participant in nature. This Wetlands Escape gives visitors a place to stay overnight, a refuge, while protecting them from certain weather conditions. Inspired by the formation and structure of oak trees along the cheniere plain, this design allows wind and water to pass through its structure without interruption or resistance.

Its unique structural design is driven deep into the ground allowing for maximum impact. The top structure is designed to allow tarp like fabric to be easily draped across its surface essentially creating a temporary roof. Each floor consists of approximately 160 square feet allowing for several camp spaces to inhabit the structure. Once camp is set up the height of the Wetlands Escape allows for 360 degree views out over the landscape and the ocean offering a different in perspective of the live oak trees, the ridge, the marsh, and the ocean.