The past spring, we built three of our Flared Pavilions for the Mount Abraham Unified School District in Bristol, Vermont. The district includes elementary schools in the towns of Bristol, New Haven, and Monkton, and each was to have a pavilion space built to facilitate outdoor learning.
A number of things about this project were unusual for us, and worth noting. The funding came from the federal government, through ESSER – Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. This is money that came out of the 2020 CARES act in the wake of Covid, and is meant to be used by schools to address needs of students that may be compromised during a pandemic. Outdoor learning is a great way to slow the spread of disease, among many other benefits. Many of us are parents of children in public schools, and are psyched to be part of a project that may lead to more outside time in general, for kids in this setting.
We’re sending a big shout out to local contractors Craig Cheever from Lincoln Construction and his brother Colby Cheever from Northern Rock Services, who did the excavation and foundation work despite many hurdles, allowing us to raise these three timber frame pavilions all in quick succession.
Pavilions are a great use of the timber frame style. They allow the frame itself to really shine, being the main aesthetic element of the structure, and since they are most often raised in public settings, they allow many people to enjoy this beautiful craft.
