Copper Basin is located on 85 acres of unspoiled Tennessee wilderness on the beautiful Ocoee River adjacent to the historic mining town of Copperhill. The project is comprised of twelve guest cabins, a 20-room luxury inn, conference facilities, a world class restaurant/culinary center, and a river side boathouse. Inspired by the local history and culture, Copper Basin is an all-inclusive 5-star ecological retreat focused on connecting guests with natural environment through architecture, interior design, and amenity programming. The primary planning objective for the design was to create a memorable guest experience with the minimal impact to the pristine natural environment. The challenge was to fully integrate the facility into a site with dramatic topography and dense old growth forests without undermining the existing ecosystem. Several unique planning strategies were employed to seamlessly marry the built and natural environments which include componentizing the program to allow for smaller flexible footprints, embracing a dramatic sectional response that allows the space to terrace down the main hillside.
