At the Smith Oaks Sanctuary, a canopy walkway and pavilions improve visitor experience without impacting wildlife
Landscape architecture firm SWA Group and architecture practice Schaum/Shieh have collaboratively rehabilitated Smith Oaks Sanctuary, a 177-acre bird refuge in High Island, Texas, with a new canopy walkway and visitor amenities.
International practice SWA Group designed a 213m-long, 5.5m-high canopy walkway, an elevated boardwalk supported by corten steel piers that threads visitors up into and through the canopy of the sanctuary, an important stopover for birds on their north-south migratory path.
The landscape of the sanctuary – adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico and managed by conservation organisation the Houston Audubon Society – comprises fields, woods, wetlands and ponds. The environment is unique for its network of freshwater reservoirs, which were abandoned by oil company Amoco after it used the area for oil extraction in the early 20th century; the area h
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Landscape architecture meets industrial reuse at Smith Oaks Sanctuary in Texas
Landscape architecture meets industrial reuse at Smith Oaks Sanctuary in Texas
Landscape architecture meets industrial reuse in the SWA Group and Schaum/Shieh’s reinvention of Smith Oaks Sanctuary in Texas, US
Photography: Jonnu Singleton
Transformed from post-industrial site to wildlife paradise, Smith Oaks Sanctuary is a lush, leafy landscape in High Island, Texas. The green expanse has just been enhanced with the light, expert touch of internationally acclaimed landscape architecture firm SWA Group and the industrial reuse designs of New York- and Houston-based architecture studio Schaum/Shieh. Central to the concept is a raised walkway that allows for birdwatching and experiencing the striking nature from the tree canopy level.