Situated on the banks of the Congaree River, this multi-purpose outdoor education center serves as the anchor to the school’s outdoor education and leadership program. The site, a vast lawn surrounded by evergreens and lush hardwoods, already contained several high ropes courses, climbing walls, and team building areas, but lacked facilities in the vicinity to support these activities and the educational mission of the program. The PEAK center provides both educational and community spaces, and delivers an architectural identity consistent with the program it serves.

A major purpose of the new center was to expand access to the outdoor adventure activities on campus by making them available to the local community. The conference room, with direct access to the exterior, kitchen, and restrooms, can be rented out and used by community groups without interfering with the day-to-day student activities happening within the building.

Generous windows around the full perimeter of the building provide abundant daylighting into every occupied space, and afford views out to the surrounding climbing walls and ropes course. A wrap around porch creates a platform for observation of all of the activity in the area and strengthens the connection between the building and its context.