Community Restoration/Renovation

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s new Lodge Completed

Photos by Halkin Mason Photography/ Courtesy Svigals + Partners

New Haven, CT – Svigals + Partners has completed the new Young Adult Lodge for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, providing upgraded housing as well as program and meeting space.

Established in 1988 in Ashford, Conn., by the late actor and philanthropist Paul Newman, the camp provides year-round programming for children with serious illnesses and their families. The camp’s accommodations for young adults serving as leaders-in-training and in other roles was in need of a refresh. The new facilities combine the camp’s rustic look with a modern aesthetic for a touch of sophistication.

“The new lodge surrounds a central courtyard,” says Marissa Mead, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, associate principal and director of art integration for Svigals + Partners. “The lodge had to be designed to be flexible and accessible in order to serve a range of young adult programs. With a large common space featuring a kitchenette, dining area, soft seating, and fireplace on one side separated from a lounge on the other, the space comfortably serves a variety of activities, including board and staff meetings.”

The project team conceived the site’s three replacement single-story residential spaces to be low-maintenance and durable, with exposed timber elements. Retaining the original U-shape configuration of seven shared and five single rooms (up to 40 total beds) in the previous space, the buildings are organized around a central courtyard and connected by a continuous outdoor path with seating areas sheltered from rain and sun by an overhang.

Both the path and the rooms are designed to be fully wheelchair accessible. For additional privacy, the new bunks all have bathroom facilities en suite. The new buildings introduced provide dedicated program space to meet the needs of leaders-in-training and staff.