This project transforms an existing modest former civic club building into a destination. The project is only 11 miles from downtown Memphis, but feels like a refuge buried deep in Shelby Forest. The building acts primarily as an event center, but also a training ride launch point for cycling routes through the hilly surrounding area. Due to a tight budget the improvements had to be minimal yet impactful. An  existing entry vestibule was removed, and new strategies including an entry porch, new front door, new roofing, and a creative paint scheme were employed. A new site fence features wood posts tailored to match the porch framing and ties this property to a neighboring lot around a bend for overflow parking.

For the exterior design strategy, the team drew inspiration from the historic definition of purlieu - a tract on the border of a forest and still partially subjected to forest laws. The simple paint scheme nods to a temporary tent-like structure using natural colors that blend with ground cover and while sitting quietly at the edge of trees. In order to visually mark the entry the paint is lightened below a continuous diagonal line from front to back - playfully imitating a lifted tent corner while creating layered shadow compositions.  The new porch is simply framed in -lane with the existing roof and rests upon expressive wood columns and a scissor truss.