“We need trees and the urban forest needs us.” This is the central message of Tree Adventure at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Completed in July 2009, the exhibit’s centerpiece, “Out on a Limb,” is a 450-foot- (137-m-) long walkway to the treetops, and “Squirrel Scramble” is an open net climb that is suspended 50 feet (15 m) above the forest floor. Featuring a canopy walk, the exhibit takes visitors on a handicap accessible journey five stories into the treetops.
Metcalfe Architecture & Design, Philadelphia, worked closely with CVM Engineering, Oaks, Pa., the structural engineer, to design a structure that consists of tall towers and ramps that weave the way through the forest. It was important that the structure did not hang on the trees for risk of killing them and/or having a falling tree destroy it. If a tree was to damage one part of Out on a Limb, the other parts would continue to stand alone.
Made of recyclable metal and wood, the exhibit consists of a lightweight structure of steel and 6-inch (152-mm) diameter “microphile” foundations that are delicately located amongst the trees. The exhibit’s design
incorporates sustainable green strategies for construction, site impact and choice of materials, including LED lighting, sustainably harvested black locust wood boards and more.
Ametco Manufacturing Corp., Willoughby, Ohio, supplied the steel railing panels; Ohio Gratings Inc., Canton, Ohio, supplied the hot-dip galvanized steel grating; International Cordage, Phoenix, supplied the stainless-steel bronze finish Invisinet; and Valmont Structures, Plymouth, Ind., supplied the galvanized steel monopoles.
Tree Adventure at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Architect: Metcalfe Architecture & Design, Philadelphia
Construction manager: CVM Construction, Oaks, Pa.
Structural engineer: CVM Engineering, Oaks
Civil engineer: Hunt Engineering Co., Malvern, Pa.
Lighting designer: Grenald Waldron Associates, Narberth, Pa.
Exhibit designer: Sparks Exhibits and Environments, Philadelphia
Structural steel: DDM Steel Services, Vineland, N.J.
Hot-dip galvanizing: American Galvanizing Co., Folsom, N.J.
Steel railing panels: Ametco Manufacturing Corp., Willoughby, Ohio, www.ametco.com
Hot-dip galvanized steel grating: Ohio Gratings Inc., Canton, Ohio, www.ohiogratings.com
Invisinet: International Cordage, Phoenix, www.international-cordage.net
Monopoles: Valmont Structures, Plymouth, Ind., www.valmont.com
