Unique architecture firm with local roots gaining national attention

Whole Tree designs have been featured
in publications like the NY Times

The building design is a unique one, but also one you see every day.

It’s called WholeTrees Architecture and Structures and it means, literally just that.

The company, based in Madison, started more than 20 years ago on a Stoddard, Wis., farm by architect Roald Gundersen. It uses entire trees to support structures rather than milled lumber or steel beams.

In April, one of WholeTrees’s biggest project to date, a Festival Foods, will open just a few blocks from the Wisconsin capitol.

Gundersen’s whole-trees designs can be seen in local businesses like the Driftless Cafe in Viroqua, Wis., and the Organic Valley headquarters in La Farge, Wis. He also designed the canopy at La Crosse’s Cameron Park.

The firm moved to Madison a few years ago and has recently gained national attention for its unique and sustainable building designs.

It has been featured in several publications and websites including the New York Times.