Hobe Mountain Observatory

Hobe Mountain Observatory

Location: Jonathan Dickinson State Park, FL, USA

Status: Unbuilt

A shaded, open platform that resists the urge to climb higher, drawing visitors into quiet contact with the native scrub ecology that surrounds it and faces continual renewal.

Hobe Mountain, the highest point in Southeast Florida, overlooks the native scrub landscape of Jonathan Dickinson State Park. It is a peak of extreme heat, wind, and light that offers uninterrupted views across 16 distinct ecologies.

The observatory capitalises on the natural elevation with a low, earth-hugging, circumambulable deck. A three-metre overhanging roof provides shade while compressing the horizon into a deliberate frame. Its central dogtrot aligns views between the Atlantic and the slash pine forest beyond, balancing the opening below with the stair ascending to the platform above.

The thatch roof is assembled from harvested serenoa repens fronds, directly referencing native Miccosukee construction. Wall panels painted in red triangles acknowledge both the tribe's heritage and the controlled burns that continually regenerate the scrub.