Base Camp Charlie
Agency
RSM Design
Practice Area
Client
Trinity Works and Boy Scouts of America
Industry
Project Vision
The Boy Scouts of America’s Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia is the new home of the 10-day BSA National Jamboree, which attracts 40,000 scouts and an additional 50,000 visitors for the event held once every four years.
Located on a 10,000-acre site adjacent to the New River Gorge National Park Area, the Summit is a unique high-adventure camp. The identity and wayfinding signage program, developed by RSM Design, was designed to guide scouts and visitors to the site amenities and campsite areas. RSM’s program responds to the natural context of the site as well as the crafted qualities of local materials, mixed with the contemporary attitudes of the adventure activities to create unique juxtapositions within the sign designs. Sign components were designed to be inexpensive and flexible, with no extraneous material usage or superfluous detailing.
Project Details
The use of basic, no-nonsense materials and stencil-cut graphics fit the project brief to a T.
Materials and construction of the signage system aptly reflect the qualities of the Boy Scouts of America. Simple, modern, and inventive.
Beautifully moves away from the typical signage associated with state parks and campgrounds. Appropriately informal, it takes cues from flag poles and tent-like structures. This sign system strikes the right balance between being representational but not overtly literal of the campsite vernacular.
Design Team
Suzanne Redmond Schwartz SEGD (principal in charge)Harry Mark AIA (principal in charge)Kyle Richter (senior designer)Jaime Gonzales (production)
Design Firm
RSM Design
Project Area
44,000 sq. ft.
Consultants
Lake Flato (architects)Andropogon (landscape architects)
Fabricators
Design Communications Ltd. (primary fabricator)