PROJECT  Camp Airy Dining Hall

LOCATION  Thurmont, MD, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  11/15/2024

Firm(s): Ziger|Snead Architects 

Design Team Members: Douglas Bothner, AIA LEED AP, Mark Treon, AIA, Michael Bollino, AIA, Cyrus Lee

Client: Camps Airy & Louise
Contractor/Construction Manager: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Landscape Architect: AMT Engineering

Structural Engineer: Structura Inc

Civil Engineer: AMT Engineering

Mechanical Engineer: FSi Engineers

Electrical Engineer: FSi Engineers

Photographer(s): Tom Holdsworth
Additional project support: Culinary Advisors, Kitchen Consultant
Acoustical Design Collaborative, nts@akustx.com

PROJECT SUMMARY

After the original dining hall was destroyed by fire in 2022, Camp Airy commissioned a new building on the same hilltop site. Designed as the camp's primary gathering space, the project reestablishes a central destination for daily life while engaging the surrounding forests and mountains.

The building is organized around a large, double-height gathering hall paired with a kitchen and service wing. Positioned at the edge of the woods, the dining hall opens to expansive views of the landscape through large areas of glazing and covered porches that extend activity outdoors. A shed roof spans exposed timber trusses that define the primary gathering space and project outward to provide shade and shelter. The building's elevated position follows the site's natural slope, minimizing disturbance to the terrain while creating a prominent presence visible throughout the camp.

A continuous screen of vertical wood slats wraps the underside of the structure, unifying the building and concealing support spaces below. Throughout the day, light filters through the screen, animating the building's form. At night, illumination from within transforms the dining hall into a lantern within the trees, reinforcing its role as a landmark and gathering place.

More than a replacement for the lost building, the project reestablishes a setting for the shared experiences that define camp life. By combining a clear structural expression, a strong connection to the landscape, and spaces designed for community, the new dining hall creates a home for future generations of Camp Airy campers.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Elevation, Tom Holdsworth
2. Approach, Tom Holdsworth
3. Inside the Dining Hall, Tom Holdsworth
4. On the Porch, Tom Holdsworth
5. Entry, Tom Holdsworth
6. Entry, Tom Holdsworth
7. Dining and connection to landscape, Tom Holdsworth
8.