Chickamauga Retreat

Year: 2025 Design & Honor Awards | Category: Unbuilt Project

The Chickamauga Retreat is an off-grid reflection space located on a vacation property situated in the Chickamauga Valley. The project creates a place for the CEO of a fortune 100 company to escape the pressure of work by retreating to a remote location to read and reflect on the natural beauty of the surrounding property. The structure is lifted above the ground plane and designed in a manner that minimizes contact points with the earth, allowing the natural flora and fauna to move through the project site with minimal disruption while enhancing the dramatic views of the surrounding landscape.

Design Challenge

The primary design challenge involved the creation of a retreat space that maximizes its phenomenal connection with the surrounding environment while minimizing its impact on the natural ecosystem. The structure is lifted above the ground plane and designed in a manner that minimizes contact points with the earth, allowing the natural flora and fauna to move through the project site with minimal disruption. Raising the structure also enhances the dramatic views of the surrounding landscape. Programmatically, the design strives to minimize the physical footprint of the structure while accommodating the programmatic uses defined by the owners. Finishes have been selected to minimize the structures carbon footprint by virtually eliminating the need for maintenance. Weathering steel panels and Ipe wood siding and decking will allow the skin to evolve with the environment as they patina over time.

Firm
Plexus r+d

Project Location
Chickamauga, Georgia

Completion Date
5/4/2026

Architects and Designers
Erik Lewitt
Jordan Williams

Structural Engineer
PEC Structural Engineering, Inc.

Interior Design
Plexus r+d