While New York City is vibrant, exciting, and diverse, it is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Excursions into nature offer us an arena for reflection and meditation, and such journeys are particularly important for adolescents who rarely travel beyond the concrete urban landscape.
On their trip to Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center, located 50 miles north of the city, students encountered a landscape that showcases humans’ ability to blend architecture with nature. The retreat gave them the opportunity to bear witness to elements of sustainable design and the catharsis that comes from going into the woods.
Below you will find reflections, photos, and sketches from our students that showcase their takeaways from the trip and how the woods of the Hudson Highlands can provide regeneration and rejuvenation.
Ouzaipha Tapsoba
What were the most memorable aspects of from the Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center trip?
One of the most memorable parts of the trip to Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center was the lake that Russel Wright made. It was really beautiful and peaceful, and it showed how much he loved nature. He didn’t just build things; he worked with the land and made sure everything fit into the natural surroundings. I thought that was really special. This part stood out to me the most because I also love nature. I enjoy being outside, seeing trees, water, and animals, so I felt a strong connection to that part of the trip.
What did you learn about sustainable design from the visit?
From the visit to the Manitoga house, I learned that sustainable design means working with nature, not against it. Russel Wright used natural materials and made sure his house fit into the landscape instead of changing it too much. He reused rocks and trees from the area and even designed the house so it blended in with the forest around it. I also noticed how the windows let in a lot of natural light, which helps save energy. The visit showed me that sustainable design is about respecting the environment while still creating something beautiful and useful.
How might you incorporate what you learned from this trip into your designs and school and extracurricular (ACE, CTA, Crème, MaoArch, NCA, etc.) projects?
From this trip, I learned that nature can be a big part of design. In my school and Crème projects, I will try to use more natural ideas. I want to use things like wood, stone, and natural light. I also want my designs to fit in with the environment, like Russel Wright did. This trip helped me see how nature can make designs better. So I will try to add trees and more nature aspects to our restaurant that we are working on.
Part of Manitoga’s mission is “to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.” How did you see characteristics of these ideas during your visit?
During my visit to Manitoga, I saw how they are creating a place for people to be creative and learn. The house and nature around it showed how art and design can work with the environment. I also saw people from different backgrounds visiting, which shows they are sharing the place with many kinds of people. It felt like a welcoming place where everyone can enjoy and be inspired.
Provide three words to describe the experience, and then offer two or three sentences of details from the trip to validate your 3 words.
Three words to describe the experience are fun, beautiful, and memorable. The trip was fun because I got to explore the unique house and learn about Russel Wright’s life and work. It was beautiful to see how the house blended in with the trees, rocks, and lake. It was memorable because I connected with his love for nature, which inspired me to think about using nature in my own designs.
Mariella Espino
What were the most memorable aspects of from the Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center trip?
The most memorable aspects for me were the rooms and artifacts Russel had collected from Japan. I also really liked the waterfall.
What did you learn about sustainable design from the visit?
I learned that you could really make anything out of what people would think is nothing. You can end up making more of a use out of something that most people would use once and throw away. Russel used tissue paper to create a beautiful wall with textured features and you would’ve never known unless someone told you it was made out of toilet paper.
How might you incorporate what you learned from this trip into your designs and school and extracurricular (ACE, CTA, Crème, MaoArch, NCA, etc.) projects?
I can use the sustainable features as inspiration for future architecture projects. I can incorporate it into photography club as well by capturing true nature and painting a story with architectural elements.
Part of Manitoga’s mission is “to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.” How did you see characteristics of these ideas during your visit?
I saw characteristics of these ideas in the way that everything was made with so much intention and creativity. The way that Russel had added his own experiences from travel into the structure and building of the rooms was beautiful, and I think it brought diversity by having Japanese aspects and touches.
Provide three words to describe the experience, and then offer two or three sentences of details from the trip to validate your 3 words.
Tranquil, whimsical, and cleansing. I would say this trip was very tranquil and calming because we had just been following our guide and respecting the nature while learning all these new things, and I thought that was pretty peaceful and nice. I would also say it was cleansing because it got us away from the city and all the chaos that can be there. It brought some of that by letting us be immersed in nature more than we could’ve in the city.
Karen Sanchez
What were the most memorable aspects of from the Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center trip?
Crossing the bridge and hearing the water flowing underneath was definitely one of the most memorable aspects from this trip.
What did you learn about sustainable design from the visit?
Using nature as inspiration for the house while applying some modern techniques to make the home livable is what creates that sustainable design.
How might you incorporate what you learned from this trip into your designs and school and extracurricular (ACE, CTA, Crème, MaoArch, NCA, etc.) projects?
I could incorporate the usage of materials from the environment where my project could be located and add it into the project to create a connection between exterior elements and the interior design.
Part of Manitoga’s mission is “to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.” How did you see characteristics of these ideas during your visit?
Our tour guide would explain to us every detail of the house and the path towards it. She would also tell us why and how Russel Wright thought of each aspect included in the house.
Provide three words to describe the experience, and then offer two or three sentences of details from the trip to validate your 3 words.
Tranquil. I would say tranquil because it’s outside of the nosy city we live in everyday. It connects you to the nature surrounding the house.
Sustainable. Not only the house but everything outdoors has also been applied with sustainability. The route towards the house was made up of stones and wood chips and basically everything you can find in nature.
Efficiency. Although the house tries to mix sustainability with modernity, there’s certain areas in the house where Russel creates hidden spaces in blind sight. There was a chair that was able to pull upwards the seating cushion and you could place any jewelry and place your pants, shoes, and jacket as a rack.
Melissa Macias
What were the most memorable aspects of from the Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center trip?
The most memorable aspects from the Manitoga- The Russel Wright Design Center trip was seeing the atmosphere around the house such as the waterfalls as you walk around the trails and going inside the house such as seeing Russel Wright bedroom were it was isolated from the other house and having his own space because he was a private person as well as his bedroom being inspired by the Japanese architecture in Japan.
What did you learn about sustainable design from the visit?
What I learned about sustainable design from this visit is that sustainable design can involve a well maintained environment for example like the Russel Wright glass house demonstrated how well upkeep it was and how it was surrounded with a quiet environment and natural setting can result in environmentally and unique sustainable home.
How might you incorporate what you learned from this trip into your designs and school and extracurricular (ACE, CTA, Crème, MaoArch, NCA, etc.) projects?
What I would incorporate from what I learned on this trip into my Crème and ACE project is the sustainability design as an inspiration that Wright used such as having a green wall in our restaurant project for crème to create a nice atmosphere and for ACE I will incorporate the plants that he had around his home to make our townhouse have greenery.
Part of Manitoga’s mission is “to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.” How did you see characteristics of these ideas during your visit?
I did see these characteristics of their idea during the visit were our tour guide showed us different things that Wright had done to his home such as a rock as a door handle which was something you don’t really see in homes nowadays. As well as, getting a close up of the moss that was growing around the area of Russel Wright design.
Provide three words to describe the experience, and then offer two or three sentences of details from the trip to validate your 3 words.
Calming, Amazed, and Astonished. This trip was calming because of our surroundings such as hearing the birds chirping and the waterfall that was breathtaking. I was amazed on how Russel Wright designed these properties based on his own liking such as him having his own private personal bedroom where no can access it but just him and as well as his daughter and her governess having there own space as well. And this trip was astonishing because I got to see a home with sustainable designs with a green roof as well the views around Russel Wright home like the waterfall in different parts of the property.
Morgan Shoken
What were the most memorable aspects of from the Manitoga-The Russel Wright Design Center trip?
I think that the most memorable aspect from the trip was that even though he wasn’t an architect, Russel Wright was able to transform the land into what he wanted without taking away from the environment. I really liked what he did to the space.
What did you learn about sustainable design from the visit?
I learned that I can incorporate eco-friendly materials, design with minimal site impact, and focus on the environment as a whole. He used things from around the area like rocks and a cedar tree trunk in the house for support. He also tried to bring as much nature as possible into his home.
How might you incorporate what you learned from this trip into your designs and school and extracurricular (ACE, CTA, Crème, MaoArch, NCA, etc.) projects?
I could look into more sustainable options with materials but allow them to still serve the same purpose. For example a green wall/roof, you can have these anywhere and they’re mostly low maintenance if set up correctly. By having one you’re helping the area get cleaner air.
Part of Manitoga’s mission is “to build a creative community and to reach and engage an ever expanding and diverse audience.” How did you see characteristics of these ideas during your visit?
The whole site was based off of Wright’s creativity and ideas and now that it’s a space where people can go to see and learn it’s allowing a community to be built off of it. It might not be a physical community, but the sense of community is there and the audience expands through each persons visit.
Provide three words to describe the experience, and then offer two or three sentences of details from the trip to validate your 3 words.
Inspiring, innovative, harmonious. The way Wright integrated his designs with the natural landscape was inspiring. His innovative use of materials and space created a unique and harmonious environment. The site was really nice and I love that they actually have events there so everyone can get to take in the beautiful scenery and learn history/ the process behind it as well.