REINVENTING RIFUGIOS: REORIENTATION IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE WILDERNESS

Eco-tourism has surged in the United States and globally, but infrastructure to support it lags behind. In the U.S., people are flocking to nature, and national and state park attendance is rapidly increasing, with many parks now limiting access through tickets and lotteries to prevent overcrowding and environmental damage. While protecting these landscapes is essential for future generations, studies consistently show that time spent in nature has a profoundly positive effect on both physical and mental health, so access for all is more important than ever.

Reinventing Rifugios proposes a new infrastructural framework to support this growing interest, and encourages people to build meaningful connections with nature through context-driven experiences. This proposal re-invents the existing hut typology and distributes fragmented components that produce experiential moments to mediate the experience of the landscape.

Reinventing Rifugios invites visitors to be immersed in nature, rather than just passing through it. The project encourages visitors to slow down; to cultivate a practice of observing, learning and heightened awareness about the space around them. This process of relating to nature through spatial interventions provokes new reflections on nature itself and how we take care of it for the future. As many visitors explore these spaces for the first time, fostering relationships rooted in care, respect, and ecological stewardship is crucial to preserving these environments and ensuring everyone can continue to benefit from them.

This project builds on a series of existing historic huts in the White Mountains in New Hampshire to emphasize the distinction between the existing experience and the new experiences being created.