The Treehouse is a net-zero building that captures rainwater and generates its own power. All about sustainability, it was constructed on reclaimed West Virginia strip mining land by the Boy Scouts of America. The experience leads upward from ground level to the rooftop canopy, designed to engage an audience of Scouts ages 11–17 who are eager to find the next adventure activity.

The design avoids outdated and formulaic exhibit solutions, delivering information in humorous and unexpected ways. Highlights include a Rube Goldberg machine, a human-scale woodrat nest, and a memorable compost toilet experience. 

This project was a jury selection for the AIGA "Justified" competition. It also earned first place in the Interiors & Environments category of the Core77 Design Awards, a Gold Award in the Environments category of IDSA's annual IDEA Awards, an SEGD Honor Award, a Spark! Award, and was featured in Dwell magazine and the Communication Arts Design Annual.

Completed at Volume Inc in collaboration with Studio Terpeluk. Creative Direction: Adam Brodsley, Eric Heiman. Design: Brice McGowen, Bryan Bindloss. 

Visitors can power the ‘Recyclotron,’ a Rube Goldberg rolling ball machine, by pedaling a custom-designed tricycle that both lifts the balls to the top of the track and shows the effort needed to power an incandescent bulb versus a fluorescent one.

A huge cross-sectioned tree, suspended horizontally in the space, houses an exhibit illustrating the concept of self-sufficiency.

Moonrise Kingdom meets An Inconvenient Truth inside the treehouse’s theater, where this triptych short film plays out across three monitors to highlight the sustainability features of the treehouse.

Designed by architecture firm Mithun, the building’s structure meets the standards of the Living Building Challenge: all its power comes from the sun and the wind, all the necessary water is rain-captured, and all its waste is recycled and reused.

“This building just made 1512 delicious slices of toast!” The treehouse roof features an LED feed that reframes the energy savings from wind-generated power into more understandable terms.