Past Workshops, Projects & Rendezvous

Find your way back to the garden

Congratulations to Guild Board Member Tim Chauvin for his award-winning design of the 28' square pavilion for the Children's Garden at Stephen F. Austin State University. Sponsored by the Texas Forestry Association, the state-wide competition is for the Excellence in Wood Design Award. The pavilion was entered in the Institutional category, and the project was picked as the winner in the category entered.

Building on a string of successful workshops, Tim Chauvin and Red Suspenders Timber Frames hosted a Guild workshop in Nacogdoches, Texas, March 15-22, 1997. This one is a 28' square pavilion for the Children's Garden at Stephen F. Austin State University. The purpose is to serve as an outdoor classroom for a new program between the University and the local school districts to bring environmental and horticultural elements into the regular classroom curriculum. It will also serve a secondary function as a concert venue for the Music Department at the University.

Each of the three bents in the frame itself is a king post truss, supporting a two-pitch roof. The structure has been designed with simplicity in mind.
The instructors hailed from all over the continent, and their combined wisdom ensured some pithy content. They included Chris Madigan from Timber Frame Workshop in New Hampshire, Mark Brandt from the Chatahoochee Joinery in Georgia, Mark Witter from the Cascade Joinery in Washington state, Colin Stotts from Calgary, and Vin Leyendecker from Arkansas.

To see a report from the site of the raising, please visit our report or the Stephen F. Austin State University site.