The Treehouse: Kid’s Adventure Center, serves as a family-oriented hospitality hub for Aspen Skiing Company’s resort, Snowmass Mountain. With a childcare facility and the central gathering area for the children’s ski school, the Treehouse is a highly-trafficked node of activity. Situated at the base of Snowmass Mountain, the Treehouse is the starting point for many of the mountain’s visitors.
Having designed the building that houses the Treehouse in 2003, this renovation was a reprisal for CCY. Tucked into the two lower levels of the CCY-designed building at the center of Snowmass Base Village, the Treehouse, over the years, had outgrown its space, so, in 2020, the Aspen Skiing Company hired CCY to renovate the space, seeking solutions to improve the initial arrival experience of parents and their children, and to update the program’s brand identity and aesthetics.
Our design reconfigured the interiors to optimize the layout and to enhance wayfinding and circulation. Forest-themed elements and graphics provide visual and child-friendly cues for navigating the space and reinforce Treehouse identity. Panels on the ceiling support the space’s acoustic performance while alluding to a forest canopy. These adjustments help set the stage for the anticipated outdoor adventure while also lending a sense of calm to the transition time when kids are away from their parents.
As an environment that sees heavy foot traffic and wet ski gear, we designed the Treehouse to maximize durability. Impact-resistant floors and walls provide robust protection from heavy use, and surfaces are all designed to be easily maintained. A system of moveable check-in desks allow for flexibility, accommodating a range of configurations and densities.