Perched above Alabama’s highest peak, the new Cheaha State Park Lodge reimagines the relationship between land, legacy, and light. Designed as a contemporary extension of the park’s storied past, the 26,000-square-foot lodge invites visitors to engage with the landscape through a material palette rooted in the region.
Three guestroom towers step down the ridgeline, interwoven with breezeways calibrated to the summer solstice. A rooftop bar hovers above the tree line. An observation pavilion reclaims the footprint of a long-abandoned pool.
At the heart of the lodge’s construction is mass timber: 461 m³ of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and 55 m³ of glulam (GL), all fabricated from FSC-certified, locally sourced Southern Yellow Pine. The structure’s hybrid system pairs the warmth and expressiveness of exposed mass timber with the durability and performance of modern fabrication. Floors are CLT with a concrete topping; walls and glulam roof beams follow a rhythm of repetition and restraint. Timber installation services are being provided by Carpentry Plus. The use of natural materials – left visible and tactile -cultivates a biophilic experience that draws the outdoors in and brings occupants into closer connection with their surroundings.
