Champion Lakes Pavilion: Contextual Concept & Feasibility Study
Project Snapshot
Location: Ligonier, Pennsylvania (Laurel Highlands)
Project Type: Hospitality Concept & Feasibility Analysis
Status: Unbuilt Design Study (Precursor to Resort Master Plan)
Scope: Conceptual Design, Narrative Development, Site Planning
Design Aesthetic: Modern Agrarian / Timber Frame "Ruin"
Client: Champion Lakes Golf Course
Architect: David Stumpf Architecture (David Stumpf, AIA)
Project Narrative
Feasibility & Design Exploration
Before committing capital to construction, successful development requires rigorous option analysis. David Stumpf Architecture was retained by Champion Lakes Golf Resort to explore the feasibility of a lateral expansion to the original Bed & Breakfast facility.
This conceptual study envisioned a freestanding event pavilion designed to serve both golf patrons and resort guests. While the ownership ultimately elected to pursue the Rear Porch Master Plan (see project), this exercise was critical in defining the architectural language and material palette that would eventually shape the resort's expansion.
Placemaking: The "Modern Ruin" Narrative
Great hospitality design requires a story. For this concept, we developed a "manufactured history" to ground the new structure in the rich heritage of the Laurel Highlands. The design narrative imagined the pavilion not as a new build, but as an ancient timber-frame barn that had once belonged to the site’s original homestead.
The architecture was conceived as a "stabilized ruin"—a structure stripped of its siding to reveal the heavy timber skeleton underneath. This approach aimed to give the new amenity an immediate sense of permanence and history, blurring the line between the region's agrarian past and its recreational present.
The Guest Experience
The proposed spatial sequence guided guests through winding garden paths before revealing the massive, inviting spans of the timber frame. The open-air pavilion was oriented to capture wide views of the 18th green, creating a spectator atmosphere for tournaments. A large stone fireplace anchored the space, designed to serve as a communal hearth during the cool autumn evenings typical of the Laurel Valley.
