Wing Warping - Design Inspiration for the Camp Hall Trailheads

“My observations of the flight of birds convinced me that birds use more positive and energetic methods of regaining equilibrium than that of shifting the center of gravity…they regain their lateral balance…by a torsion of the tips of the wings.” Wilbur Wright

Concept Design for trailheads at Camp Hall [Rush Dixon Architects]

Wing warping was an early system for lateral /roll control of a fixed-wing aircraft. The technique, used and patented by the Wright Brothers, consisted of a system of pulleys and cables to twist the trailing edges of the wings in opposite directions. Birds visibly use wing warping to achieve control. This was a significant influence on early aircraft designers. The Wright brothers were the first group to use warping wings as their first plane mimicked the bird’s flight patterns and wing forms.

Interesting stuff, but why are we researching wing patterns, you ask? If you have been following our journey designing the initial structure’s for Santee Cooper’s Camp Hall Village, you will recall that elements of nature have been the over-arching design inspiration and wing warping is our latest muse.

Santee Cooper’s Camp Hall is a next generation commerce park where “people, nature and productivity connect.” With state-of-the-art manufacturing in a setting of vast natural beauty, the design concept of “Nature and the Machine” permeates the built environment. Like the vehicles and machines produced in Camp Hall, the architecture is intended to embody precision, sleekness and innovation; the building forms are abstract interpretations of the patterns, colors and figures found in nature. The latest example is the design for various trailheads to be erected throughout the campus in which the concept of wing-warping was explored. In this case, the roof planes twist to create offset drainage. Stay tuned for progress photos of the trailheads in the coming years.

Diagram showing wing positions supporting warping configuration.

Wright Brothers’ kite diagram using the wing warping concept

Concept Design for trailheads at Camp Hall [Rush Dixon Architects]

Concept Design for trailheads at Camp Hall [Rush Dixon Architects]

Daniel Island Recreation Center

“Rush Dixon Architects listened to our goals for the building - function, aesthetics, maintenance, budget - and produced a design that captured those goals and emphasized the surrounding community.”

Edmund Most, Deputy Director of Capital Projects - City of Charleston

One of the true highlights of our career began back in the summer of 2017 when we submitted our qualifications and interviewed for the competitive architectural selection to design a new recreation center for the City of Charleston. Our firm was ultimately selected by the committee to design the 20,000sf Daniel Island Recreation Center which would serve as both a recreation center and community gathering space. The design process kicked off with numerous department meetings and facility tours to better understand the City’s functional needs, programmatic goals, maintenance resources, lessons learned etc. The resulting design includes two main spaces - a basketball court and a multi-purpose meeting room - which are evident in the building’s massing. Rounding out the program are small conference rooms, yoga space, cardio center, concession kitchen and supporting offices.

The gymnasium is sized and striped for basketball, volleyball and pickleball with the option to have half courts and spectators.

The Multi-Purpose Room captures views of nearby Governor’s Park and offers the City a place for meetings and light recreation. The room can be divided into two smaller areas for flexibility and uses the Armstrong Woodworks ceiling system for both acoustics and aesthetics.

The design is inspired by the agricultural history of the site in broad strokes through architectural massing and materials, and specifically, through the storytelling of the local indigo industry on the interiors. The use of Trespa Phenolic Wall Panels, both in white and grey, provide a textured wall harkening to the wood planks historically used for barns, with the benefit of durability and low maintenance for this civic use. The project gained approval from the City of Charleston’s Design Review Board, Daniel Island Architectural Review Board, Mayor’s Design Review, Technical Review Committee along with the required site approval entities for new development. The construction spanned from 2019 to 2021, was ushered successfully through hurricanes and the pandemic by our friends at Hill Construction and ultimately opened to the public in August 2021.

Client: City of Charleston

General Contractor: Hill Construction

Civil Engineering + Landscape Architecture: Seamon Whiteside

Structural Engineer: ADC Engineering

Mech / Plumbing / Electrical Engineer: Charleston Engineering

Building Envelope: SKA Consultants

Cost Estimating: Aiken Cost Consulting

Photography: Chris Smith

Charleston Artist | Mary Edna Fraser

Our charge for the design of the Daniel Island Recreation Center for the City of Charleston, SC was to tie the new facility to the surrounding Charleston and Daniel Island context. This carried through to the interior art and graphics design with a main focal point by renowned Charleston artist, Mary Edna Fraser. “Daniel Island Nocturne” in a triptych format will proudly grace the community room ante room.

Photograph by Carolyn Russo, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

We first learned of Mary Edna Fraser when we moved to Charleston in the early 90s; her batiks are captivating and her process is inspired through her own aerial photography. Beyond that, is a commitment to the environment, education and activism. In her own words, “Photographing from the open cockpit of my family’s vintage plane, wind in my face translates to batiks on silk, distilling the adventure into a moment of visual poetry…Conveying breathtaking perspectives of space, earth, and deep sea is my life’s work, developed with leading experts in the fields of planetary science, coastal geology, and oceanography.” Please visit her website here.

We are fortunate to have clients like the City of Charleston who believe in and support not only public art but local artists. This facility will be open to the public beginning in the summer of 2021; stay tuned for project completion and professional photos of the installation.

Rush Dixon Architects rendering for the interior installation at the Daniel Island Recreation Center’s community room.

Seabrook Island Beach Club Renovation

In collaboration with Seamon Whiteside, an award-winning landscape architecture and civil engineering firm, the design goals of this project included updated pools, deck, restrooms and a new cabana bar. Balancing zoning ordinances, design reviews, flood regulations and building code parameters, the result provides a modern amenity for this island community overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Initial concept rendering of the Cabana Bar shows a dynamic mono-slope roof and trellis system.

Construction progress photo showing the side view of the Cabana Bar.

A front view of the finished Cabana Bar with the gathering space in the foreground. [Photo: Seamon Whiteside]

Ipe scrim treatment wraps the Cabana Bar service area.

Aerial image of the renovated Seabrook Beach Club. [Photo: Seamon Whiteside]

Daniel Island Recreation Center

The City of Charleston Capital Projects and Recreation Dept. staff has completed comprehensive outreach sessions the last few years to obtain citizen feedback that help form the programming.  The current design is approximately 20,000sf and includes a Gymnasium, Multi-Purpose Room, Fitness Room along with support spaces (offices, meeting room, storage, restrooms / showers). 

The inspiration for the design came directly from Daniel Island's agrarian history.  This agricultural context can be discovered at the existing concessions building at Governor’s Park. That history and context, plus understanding the fun and casual types of functions that are housed in this building really solidified this design direction. The building material choice and detailing are selected and will be designed to align with the quality level of Daniel Island and durability requirements of a public building. 

Rendering: Seamon Whiteside + Rush Dixon Architects