South Mt. Hawkins Fire Lookout - Angeles National Forest, California
Naturally observing the movement of time and change by embedding itself as part of its locale, the Place of Regard aspires to create a space of observation, contemplation, and honor. Situated 7,783’ above sea level on the summit of South Mt. Hawkins, deep within the expansive Angeles National Forest, The Place of Regard consists of two masses: a fire watch tower and a research cove. The masses are organized through their function and formed through their surroundings.
The north oriented fire watch tower is organized around the function of detecting fire. The watcher’s cabin draws its plan from the pragmatic 14’x14’ Dubouis design arranged around the central fire finder. The cabin is fully glazed and shaded from extensive southern sun, maximizing the watcher’s ability to visually navigate the landscape throughout the day. The research cove orients itself to the rising trail up the mountain, inviting hikers in and providing researchers easy access to the Weather Station.
2020 John Stewardson Memorial Competition
9 day invited competition
The masses take inspiration from the Tongva people, an indigenous tribe native to the Los Angeles Basin, who believe that time changes but the land is timeless. The two masses are constructed of rammed earth utilizing a variety of rich and diverse soils from the surrounding San Gabriel mountains. Trunks of local pine trees are employed as the framework for the rammed earth resulting in a naturally sinuous mass that recalls the variation of the surrounding forest. The masses observe the surrounding landscape alongside the fire watcher, understanding and absorbing cycles of ecological change.
As the land is renewed and further fires prevail, The Place of Regard becomes a space of communal mourning and honor. As the structures are stripped of all but their earthen mass, the remains frame views of the sky and surrounding earth. The masses age through recursive cycles of forest regeneration becoming an indicator of the passing of time and serving as a memorial for the inhabitants, indigenous peoples, and species that once occupied the land.
