It’s time to finally share the details of our fun side project, Project Hoot! If you’ve been following along on our Instagram stories or Facebook, you know that we’ve been working on something special…
Project Hoot began during our team offsite in April. This year, our usual team-building construction activity was revealed to be a larger fundraising and collaboration endeavor. We worked in teams to design four custom owl houses, with the goal of auctioning them off at Field + Supply from May 27th to 29th. We’re very excited to finally share the details of our designs, as well as to reveal where all donations will be going.
Fundraising for Ukraine
As you may know, there is a substantial Ukrainian population in the Hudson Valley that has been mobilizing to provide aid where it is most needed. In conversation with local Ukrainian Americans, it was decided that all donations will be split between two organizations, Help Ukraine 22 Operation Palyanytsya and Razom for Ukraine.
Help Ukraine 22 Operation Palyanytsya is a humanitarian aid effort that was born out of the current invasion. A team of Americans and Ukrainians are working to identify gaps in immediate assistance for Ukrainians in need. They are focusing on offering shelter and aid directly to impacted civilians, organizing rescue operations from impacted districts, and resupplying critical medical aid. They have successfully delivered food and hygiene products to the Donbas region, which has been cut off from typical supply chains. Many of their efforts are focused primarily on mothers with small children, single elderly people and those with disabilities. Operation Palyanytsya is administered by a US non-profit and supported by partner NGOs and on-the-ground projects in Ukraine.
Razom for Ukraine was initially born out of the 2014 demonstrations in Maidan, Ukraine and in resistance to the Russian annexation of Crimea. As primarily New York based Ukrainian expats and Ukrainian Americans organized protests and raised emergency support funds, they formalized their efforts into an organization they named Razom. Razom means “together” in Ukrainian and “serves as a constant reminder of the community that it takes to create, build and do, to stay the path towards a more prosperous and democratic Ukraine”. Razom has extensive experience organizing aid to Ukraine, providing both emergency aid during the 2014 conflict and during the current occupation. They also support educational development initiatives during periods of relative peace, including cross-cultural programs in STEM fields, art and politics. Currently, Razom is engaged in an emergency response, sending medicine, hospital supplies and emergency response supplies to Ukraine. They actively collaborate with on-the-ground organizations, including Kryla Nadiyi (Wings of Hope), Euromaidan-Warszava, and Ukrainian Education Platform to direct aid where it is needed most.
Why Owls?
Owls are some of our favorite animals to see in the Hudson Valley. They are fantastic predators, keeping rodent and insect populations in check – and there is just something magical about the sound of an owl late at night. Unfortunately, some owl species are becoming rare, partially due to loss of habitat. Our goal with the project was to create a home that would be a safe refuge for these magnificent birds. Each team was assigned a specific Hudson Valley owl, which came with a set of functional requirements and some design inspiration images. We sketched and brainstormed before finalizing our designs. Now, we’ve passed them on to Braxton Alexander, a local furniture maker whose craftsmanship will bring them all to life. Check out the videos below for more information on each design!
How Can I Contribute?
The auction of the four owl houses will happen during Field + Supply’s Spring Market, from May 27th to 29th. The finished homes will be on display, as will additional information about each design. Since the wood for the project is being donated by The Hudson Company, and Field & Supply has graciously offered to host Project Hoot, 100% of all donations will go directly to Razom and Operation Palyanytsya. We hope to see you there!
Eastern Screech Owl House
Captions: Before jumping into a design for the Eastern Screech Owl, we had to learn a bit more about our client and their taste. Eastern Screech Owls are on the smaller side and typically grow to be only 6-10 inches tall. Their babies like to live at the bottom of their nest, typically a tall volume like a hollowed out tree. Our clients also provided us with some inspirational images. We noted that they tend to like white materials with natural wood accents that highlight openings. As we sketched, we played with how large the opening can be and ways to design the interior.
Ultimately, we designed a recessed entrance and an entry porch for our clients to rest and enjoy their view. The interior of the home features notches for owlets to climb out of the bottom of their home. Our clients are secondary nesters so the home will be pre-furnished with sticks and wood shavings. A backdoor entrance is used for housekeeping and to re-furnish the space for the next generation.
Details for the home include a recessed bottom panel and mitered sides for a smooth finish. After finalizing the design, we presented the owl house to Braxton Alexander. He’ll be using stucco and The Hudson Company’s Reclaimed Ash to build this future Eastern Screech Owl home. We are very excited to share the finished house at Field + Supply Spring Market May 27-29th.
Great Horned Owl House
Captions: The Great Horned Owl is a large owl, growing up to 2 feet tall. They like to nest 15-45 feet in the air and require a nest with a 2 foot radius. Like the Eastern Screech Owl, they are secondary nesters and often nest in hawks’ nests. They often don’t require roof coverage since they need space to swoop in and perch in the nest.
Inspired by the natural texture of mushrooms that grow on trees and our clients’ color palette we sketched a pyramid shaped home. We moved forward with the Hudson Company’s Reclaimed Mushroom Wood for its unique double sided material. To camouflage the home into the tree, the darker side of the wood will be on the exterior of the home, while the warmer side of the plank will create a cozy interior. We separated the pyramid shapes to allow for a large enough opening for our clients to make fast entrances and exits.
In collaboration with Braxton Alexander, we engineered a steel backer to connect the two volumes together. With a large home of around 4 ft tall, substantial structural engineering was required. We can’t wait to showcase this house at Field + Supply Spring Market from May 27th to 29th.
Barred Owl House
Captions: Our next client, the Barred Owl, has very specific vertical nesting box requirements. A classic example of a client who loves form in addition to function, the Barred Owl came to us with inspiration images featuring a very horizontal house. Faced with the challenge of working around the size necessary for our clients and their design ambitions, we played with different ways to combine the two.
Looking closely at the client’s inspiration, our design team was drawn to the featured rafter details. Ultimately, we landed on a vertical volume that is bisected by two horizontals. The owl can comfortably land on an extended platform, with a protected entryway on the opposite side. We separated the two to avoid inviting in any trespassing critters.
A clerestory window detail was designed using simple rafters. A pin latch system keeps the front face of the home simple, but allows for necessary housekeeping tasks. For this home, we’re using the Hudson Company’s Reclaimed Heart Pine for the vertical volume and a darker Reclaimed Water Tank material to accentuate the horizontals. We’re looking forward to seeing Braxton Alexander’s handiwork on this one! The final home will be on view at Field + Supply Spring Market May 27-29th.
Barn Owl House
Captions: Our final client, the Barn Owl, gravitates towards abandoned barns, nesting in the rafters and wood framing while hunting in open fields. We drew strongly from their inspiration – a barn in an open field. Since they don’t require their home to be in the woods or up in a tree, we realized that this home can function as a stand-alone single-family residence.
As we continued to contemplate the Barn Owl’s needs and their design aesthetic, we became inspired by the pattern of their wings during flight. Playing with different angles, we designed a frame structure that mimics the wing pattern of the owl. Made with the Hudson Company’s Reclaimed Water Tank Wood, the structure encourages our client in their nightly hunts.
Inside the frame structure, a simple box made from Reclaimed Ash creates a nice contrast and cozy feel to the home. Braxton Alexander will be working his magic on this home that doubles as a sculptural art piece – check it out at Field + Supply Spring Market from May 27-29th.