Perched above Alabama’s highest peak, the new Cheaha State Park Lodge reimagines the relationship between land, legacy, and light. Designed as a contemporary extension of the park’s storied past, the 26,000-square-foot lodge invites visitors to engage with the landscape through a material palette rooted in the region.
Three guestroom towers step down the ridgeline, interwoven with breezeways calibrated to the summer solstice. A rooftop bar hovers above the tree line. An observation pavilion reclaims the footprint of a long-abandoned pool.
At the heart of the lodge’s construction is mass timber: 461 m³ of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and 55 m³ of glulam (GL), all fabricated from locally sourced Southern Yellow Pine. The structure’s hybrid system pairs the warmth and expressiveness of exposed mass timber with the durability and performance of modern fabrication. Floors are CLT with a concrete topping; walls and glulam roof beams follow a rhythm of repetition and restraint. Timber installation services are being provided by Carpentry Plus. The use of natural materials – left visible and tactile -cultivates a biophilic experience that draws the outdoors in and brings occupants into closer connection with their surroundings.
