Franconia Family Recreation Area

Alexandria, VA

 

Size:

3,715 SF

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Commissioned by the Fairfax County Park Authority, Samaha provided design and construction administration services for a fully accessible tree house, restroom/ticket facility, and a filter building at the Chesapeake Bay themed Franconia Family Recreation Area. The park is a family-focused outdoor recreation complex, which includes an accessible spray park, playground, picnic area and carousel providing families and children of all abilities a place to play.

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Collaborating with Forever Treehouses, Samaha designed a fully accessible tree house by utilizing the natural grade of the site to create the elevated platform. Dual ramps lead visitors to the tree house from the park, from which point the grade of the park recedes downhill. Using the natural grade, Samaha created a tree house that appears to be floating within the tree line.

Taking design cues from a Coast Guard rescue station, the restroom/ticket facility design, complete with its own lighthouse, complements the Chesapeake Bay theme of the spray park. The filter building was designed to complement and support the spray park.

 

All three facilities designed by Samaha at the Franconia Family Recreation Area were completed within budget and on time.