Twisted Run Retreat

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

TWISTED RUN RETREAT

Tall Architects

ARCHITECTS
Tall Architects

ENGINEER
Terry Moran Engineering

PHOTOGRAPHS
Coy Sellers

MANUFACTURERS
James Hardie Australia, Mi Windows And Doors

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Madison Talley, Mark Talley

INTERN ARCHITECT / GRAPHICS 
Lilo Santos

AREA
2300 M²

LOCATION
Vancleave, United States

YEAR
2019

CATEGORY
Pavilion

Text description provided by architect.

In early 2018, the owner of Twisted Run Retreat, a yoga and writing retreat, approached the architects about designing a pavilion nestled into the wooded fifteen-acre property.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

The project was accelerated and expanded a few months later when an existing cabin (one of three on the property) was struck by lightning and burned.

After discussing the goals for the property, the owner and architects decided the best course of action was to replace the burned cabin with two cabins and situate the pavilion in a central location.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

The three, new buildings are similar to symmetrical, tilted gable roofs that have been said to portray the idea of “downward facing dog”, an appropriate evocation for a yoga retreat.

Low maintenance materials, including cement panels, cedar battens, and corrugated metal, further unite the buildings and allow the structures to recede into the trees.

The Bishop and Welty cabins, named for Elizabeth Bishop and Eudora Welty, are each six hundred and fifty square feet and sleep four.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

They sit atop a bluff overlooking the Pascagoula River, with porches on the ends of the structures to take advantage of the eastern river and western forest views and breezes.

The cabins are frequently used for visiting writers who can be found on the porches listening to the rustle of leaves, smelling the rain, and watching the moving shadows. The Woolf pavilion, named for writer Virginia Woolf, is a quiet space for yoga, art, music, and lectures.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

One enters the pavilion under a low overhang, which creates a snug and intimate portal. Once inside, space opens up with a vaulted roof, clad in plywood panels, and a twelve-foot tall screen wall that overlooks the lush forest.

This space allows one to feel connected to the surrounding forest while also giving a sense of seclusion and protection.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers

The project received an Honor Award, the highest award, from the Mississippi chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2020.

Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers
Twisted Run Retreat
© Coy Sellers



Twisted Run Retreat
Plan - First floor
Twisted Run Retreat
Cabin Plan- Second floor

Twisted Run Retreat
Pavilion plan

Twisted Run Retreat
Plan - Site


Twisted Run Retreat
Section - Pavilion
Twisted Run Retreat
Section - Cabin


Twisted Run Retreat
Axo

Twisted Run Retreat
Axo