The Design Challenge: Family Camp

It's been a great summer. Campers made lasting friendships, launched from the blob over a thousand times, sang at the top of their lungs in the dining hall and are now back home safely -- no doubt wishing they were still at camp. But you aren't quite done… now it's time for family camp!

In a survey of camps nationwide conducted by the ACA, 40 percent of respondents offered non-camp services such as retreat centers, facility rentals, family camp programs, or outdoor/environmental education programs (Malinowski). While the summer sessions are most likely your camp's top priority, offering family camp and facility rental can help maximize the usage of your facilities year-round. As described in an article by Sarah Agate, M.S, C.F.L.E. and Dorothy Schmalz, Ph.D. in Camp Magazine's 2010 March/April issue, there are many attractive reasons to offer family camp programs.

"Camp providers are seeing family programs not only as a way to increase revenue to their camps, but also as a way to make a difference and help families build stronger relationships with one another and experience the benefits of camp together" (Agate).

However, when it comes to implementing these programs, it can be difficult to create multi-functional spaces that can accommodate a variety of program types. For example, cabins in traditional resident camps are often designed for 10-12 youth campers and 1-3 twenty-year-old staff, not for parents and kids. So what do you do? You can't exactly have double beds replace camp bunks… or can you?

When faced with this challenge many camps have found great design solutions. In our experience we found several camps offering cabins that can flex between the needs of youth camp and family camp. During summer camp they use traditional bunk beds, but when it’s time for family camp, one set of bunk beds per unit are exchanged for a double bed. These cabins are designed with bed storage built between units. The interior spaces can also be partitioned off to create a smaller living space for family camp and a larger open space for youth camps.

For more about Camp Design at Domokur Architects, visit www.domokur.com.


Agate, Sarah, M.S, C.F.L.E., and Dorothy Schmalz, Ph.D. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Issues Camp Providers Face When Providing Family Camp Programs."Camping Magazine Mar./April 2010. online.

Malinowski, Ph.D., "The Worlds of Profits -- Highlights from ACA's Camp Business Operations Report: 2006." Camping Magazine Sep./Oct. 2006. online.