The Camp JRF Eco-Village is situated in the Pocono Mountains just up a hill from the existing Jewish Reconstructionist summer camp. The new village will be for older adolescent firl and boy campers and be composed of yurt cabins and sheltered by colorful canopies. The yurts will sit upon platforms, adjacent to a program building for gatherings, bathhouses, and an earthen berm for stargazing. Metcalfe Architecture & Design has been working closely with Camp JRF to provide a design that is focused on creating social spaces for campers and staff to meet and enjoy their lives together at summer camp. The Camp JRF Eco-Village anticipates to break ground this coming summer.
This new village will be built in part by campers and is a result of workshops with them to determine what they believe to be the most important components for their new campground. The form of the village reflects the need for social spaces to encourage the dialogue required to become responsible people (“peoplehood”) and uses sustainable building strategies and materials to foster respect for the earth (“repairing the world”). Camper participation in the construction will teach them about building in a way that touches lightly on the land and will provide them with a sense of ownership of the village.
