THE BRUSH PILE

Boylston, MA

The Brush Pile is located within The Ramble, a children’s garden at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. This tunnel of branches is situated within the stumpery, an area for active play amongst a collection of felled root systems and upside-down trees. An early concept drawing by artist and fellow landscape architect W. Gary Smith depicts a serpentine arrangement with enough head clearance for kids to crawl.

During the development of the children’s garden, an emphasis was placed on creating engaging spaces that visitors of all abilities could enjoy. For the brush pile, one entrance was scaled to accommodate kids in wheelchairs, the ceiling at the midpoint of the tunnel was raised high enough for kids to stand, and the overall shape was adjusted to better suit the circulation of the stumpery. A metal substructure of steel arches and welded rods was designed to provide a safe and long-lasting skeleton for supporting branches. A peek-a-boo window was also added, a popular moment for photographs and saying “hi!”

Ryan Associates, along with W. Gary Smith, had the opportunity to contribute hand- on involvement during the construction phase. We spent two days on-site placing, bundling, weaving, stacking, throwing, and attaching woody material to the metal structure. The contractor built concrete footings and harvested brush from the property for our use. Metalworkers pre-fabricated the arches and assembled the complete armature in the field.

Choreographed chaos is an apt term for this nature play feature, which is sure to evolve over time.

Photos by: Ryan Associates, NEBG and Troy Thompson