WISDOM WOODS VISION PLAN + PHASE I IMPLEMENTATION
As a retreat for those seeking balance and inspiration, Wisdom Woods offers a distinctive set of experiences and spaces that bring more connection, community, and creativity into the world.
Founder and former Chicago business executive, Jeff Wisdom, and his family have long made retreats to their cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin to strengthen relationships, set intentions, relax, and recharge. Jeff found himself coming away from these trips with a renewed sense of clarity and focus that positively impacted all facets of his life, but especially his approach to business. This epiphany inspired the creation of Wisdom Woods.
Wisdom Woods has been shaped by uncounted generations of human interaction, management, and natural processes. The current stewards know that this place is special and want to share its stories and secrets with future guests. The core Wisdom Woods experience draws on the restorative power of total immersion within a Northwoods landscape, which helps center us into a state of increased creativity and clarity.
Location: Spooner, Wisconsin
Client: Wisdom Collective
Status: Plan Completed in 2020, Phase I Completed in 2023
Area: 80 acres
Team: TEN x TEN, Wigen Consulting
Awards: 2023 ASLA Minnesota Honor Award for Communications
HOW DO WE ALIGN VALUES TO CREATE A COHESIVE VISION FOR THE FUTURE?
Our unique team dynamic allowed us to expand our scope of work beyond the bounds of a typical master plan. From the beginning of the planning process, the clients had a strong sense of their values and goals, but were unsure how to articulate their future mission and vision for Wisdom Woods. We leveraged our facilitation skills in order to guide a series of challenging discussions and interactive workshops that helped the client to create a holistic framework for Wisdom Woods and other mission-aligned family endeavors. The resulting parent entity, Wisdom Collective, is an instrument that builds internal capacity, improves communications, and evaluates current and potential future undertakings.
HOW DO WE TRANSLATE THOSE VALUES INTO A BUILT ENVIRONMENT?
Wisdom Woods is, first and foremost, a Northwoods retreat. A retreat is an opportunity to move into an extraordinary place that rejuvenates the mind and body. This retreat mentality not only informs the stewardship and design of the environment of Wisdom Woods, but also the shape of experiences that guests encounter during their stay. Recognizing the importance of each detail of a retreat experience, from the texture of a stone surface to the thoughtful pacing of daily schedule, the design allows guests to create space for truly enlightened ideas.
1.0 START HERE: STRATEGICALLY CHOREOGRAPH EXPERIENCES THAT STRENGTHEN THE HUMAN-NATURE CONNECTION
True to the intent of a retreat, the design team dedicated extensive time and space across the duration of the project to get acquainted with 80-acres of Northwoods. Using walking, photography, and inventory to ground this time on site, we developed strategies to record the diversity of unique ecozones, identify key landscape features, and document patterns of movement. This process of explorative wayfinding and discovery intentionally opened the design process from a place of authentic understanding, framing the values of core Wisdom Woods experiences from a cultivated relationship with place.
2.0 ESTABLISHING PRIORITIES AND IMPLEMENTING VISION
The process of collaboration with the client to articulate the primary mission of Wisdom Woods along with ample time invested in site investigation and analysis led to a master plan framed upon the foundational goals of the project: to preserve the essential characteristics of a valuable landscape and to prime retreat guests to have personal epiphanies. The master plan vision accomplishes these goals by strengthening the human-nature connection. A series of pedestrian trail loops strategically lead guests through the distinct micro-ecologies throughout the property including mature red pine stands, regenerating aspen thickets, oak savanna, and a quaking bog. Points of interest along the trails draw guests to explore more of the varied landscape by creating spaces of comfort and reflection that heighten our senses, capture our attention, and set us at ease.
3.0 SHARING THE VISION!
EXTERNAL – CUSTOMER-FACING COLLATERAL
A key piece of the master plan is a series of interpretive tools designed to guide each step of the Wisdom Woods experience from booking a stay and arriving on site to establishing long-lasting relationships. During their stay, the Wisdom Woods Guide and custom Tarot Deck encourage visitors to slow down, take notice, and reflect both on the unique beauty of Wisdom Woods and their own personal growth.
HOW DO WE KEEP OURSELVES ON TRACK?
Landscapes are constantly growing and evolving, as are Wisdom Collective projects. Our team helped to develop Brand Guidelines and a Maintenance Manual to shepherd responsible stewardship of both the land and organization. These resources provide tangible guidelines and practical tools to direct both day-to-day activities and long-term visioning in a manner consistent with the mission and values of the Wisdom Collective.
