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All the United States California San Luis Obispo Poly Canyon - Experimental Structures Lab

Poly Canyon - Experimental Structures Lab

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

San Luis Obispo, California

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joel
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The Underground House.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
The Underground House.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
The Shell House.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Poly Canyon Design Village.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Poly Pavilion.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
The Shell House.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
The Modular House.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
The Stick Structure.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Poly Canyon Design Village.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Poly Canyon Design Village.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Poly Canyon Design Village.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
  matthewsloss7 / Atlas Obscura User
Thin blade structure.   leiris / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance arch to the design village.   Angela Mueller/CC BY 2.0
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About

In the hills above California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, there's a nine-acre collection of eclectic, experimental structures. It looks like an abandoned mishmash of unconventional architecture.

The site is an "outdoor experimental construction laboratory" for the university students. The structures were all built by architectural, engineering, and design students over the last several decades. They range from sculptures to semi-houses, but most of the structures fall somewhere in between.

The canyon is also home to the annual Design Village, which invites students to design and build temporary structures centered around a set theme. Participants then spend the weekend sleeping in their oddball abodes. 

Sadly, the collection has fallen into a bit of disrepair. Student caretakers no longer live on the site. As a result of their absence, vandals have tagged some of the structures, and others have had their windows boarded up.

Related Tags

Villages Architecture Parks Design Art Sculptures Universities Architectural Oddities

Know Before You Go

Park on campus near Poly Canyon Road. On weekdays you will have to buy a parking permit for $5, on weekends free parking can be found. Walk the dirt Poly Canyon road for about a mile, until you see the stone arch to your left.

Community Contributors

Added By

leiris

Edited By

RachaelClaire, chris2fourlaw, matthewsloss7

  • RachaelClaire
  • chris2fourlaw
  • matthewsloss7

Published

November 3, 2017

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Sources
  • http://strayngerranger.com/poly-canyon-design-village/
  • https://www.hikespeak.com/trails/cal-poly-canyon-design-village-hike-san-luis-obispo/
  • https://architecture.calpoly.edu/about/Design-Village
  • http://www.sfgate.com/travel/centralcoasting/article/Cal-Poly-s-quirky-architecture-projects-in-need-5990947.php
Poly Canyon - Experimental Structures Lab
Poly Canyon Rd
San Luis Obispo, California
United States
35.315636, -120.653846
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