Nature Play and Circularity: Wood Salvage in Hudson, NY

At Assemblage, our circular design strategy emphasizes adaptive reuse of existing materials in the landscape. Harvesting and reusing the materials that are already manufactured is one of the most impactful ways we can lower embodied carbon in our projects. When we reuse what we already have, we eliminate the need for making new products that have more embedded carbon.

If we take time to examine all the existing materials on site, we might discover valuable resources right under our noses. Instead of clearing the site of what was formerly perceived as “waste”, we find treasures with potential for innovation and reuse.

We took this approach with our climate-adaptive park in Hudson, NY. Since we’re elevating the grade at a key part of the shoreline, we are proposing to repurpose the trees that need to be removed as natural playground elements.  We started with an inventory of trees, analyzing how to dissect the valuable wood that will become play timber for climbing, jumping, balancing, and seating. Modeling the timber logs helped us visualize the inventory and bring the design together. We can’t wait to play in this space ourselves - see you at the playground!