Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center
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ARCHITECTURAL TEAM | John Sparano, Anne Mooney, Nate King, Ludwing Juarez, Jorge Beltran, Morgan Bennett
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT | Withers + Sandgren
RENDERS | Nic Tucker
Devil’s Punchbowl is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of California. In September 2020, the Bobcat Fire devastated the site, scorching thousands of acres of desert vegetation as well as the 57-year-old nature center. The remains from the disaster have come to support crucial remnants of desert life, and are now a main area of interest in what is left behind of the Punchbowl.
One of these interests is the manzanita, and our fascination with this plant species stems from its striking exterior color and growth cycle. This plan has adapted to fire for centuries, protecting its seeds below the soil’s surface. With exposure to heat, the seeds begin their germination process and a new manzanita takes root, breaking through the surface after devastation. The proposed architecture takes a similar approach - following the original nature center’s destruction by fire, this 3,300 square-foot new structure will begin to grow, emerging from the ground through a process of rebirth.
