Cal Poly Student Builds First Structure at Swanton Pacific Ranch Since CZU Lightning Complex Fire

by Brianna Grossman / Photos by Niles Wertz

Niles Wertz stands alongside his completed shed 

Cal Poly architecture student Niles Wertz brought Learn by Doing north to Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch in Santa Cruz County.   

In March, Wertz finished construction of the shed he designed and built on the ranch, which was in parts burned down by the CZU Lightning Complex fires in August 2020. This is the first permanently built structure on the ranch since the recovery began. The shed consists of fire-salvaged Redwood from the surrounding forest, a process Wertz described as a “grassroots approach.”  

“Although much of the Redwood Forest on the property has been burned and killed by the fire, it's a really beautiful and usable material. So, part of this project was attempting to use the material that’s available and otherwise overlooked,” he said.   

1) Fire-salvaged wood used for building 2) Foundation of shed using wood from the surrounding forest

The process of felling the trees and using the sawmill to make custom logs is familiar to Wertz, who grew up woodworking and has worked at a sawmill for nearly four years. He is also a Cal Poly Logging team member, which he joined in his first year. The team’s frequent travels to the ranch allowed Wertz to build and maintain a strong relationship with the Swanton community and the natural environment.   

Fast forward to fall 2022, Wertz began an independent study with architecture professor Carmen Trudell, who met with him weekly to work through the design — the pair connected through joint research involving the use of wood from urban sources.   

Trudell echoed Wertz’s emphasis on using the ranches’ recovery as an opening to challenge contemporary building methods.   

“There’s this amazing opportunity to build there in a way that can continue to be an exemplary use of the available resource to meet the immediate need, and it can be done in a really beautiful and smart way,” Trudell said.  

1) Wertz saws a solid redwood wall 2) A closer look at the intricate crafting of the wood  

Once Wertz got his project approved by Swanton Pacific Ranch and Cal Poly, he got to work. However, during the construction process, Wertz faced an unpredictable challenge.   

“I wasn’t expecting to be setting, leveling and starting to build my platform and the foundation of my building when there were three inches of rain and massive puddles,” Wertz said.  

Months of unprecedented thunderstorms and floods in California during the winter season created difficult building conditions.  

“I’m shin deep in mud trying to level this building out, so I wasn’t expecting that. [...] But that’s all part of the process and you know, has made it very engaging.”  

The shed’s construction combined the efforts of cross-disciplinary collaborations with structural engineering faculty members John Lawson and Abby Lentz, who specialize in timber structures, working as consultants.  

Additionally, Trudell and other students from varying colleges went to the ranch on the weekends to assist Wertz with the physical labor.   

The shed’s construction combined the efforts of cross-disciplinary collaborations

“[The] most exciting thing [...] has actually been using this project as a teaching opportunity and a collaboration opportunity with other students and faculty at Cal Poly, both within CAED and within other colleges,” Wertz said.   

Wertz’s conversations with students gave him a more informed perspective of the project’s sustainability and how that plays into his structure.   

“Cal Poly as a university is on the forefront of [sustainability] in many departments,” he said.   

The shed, now finished, represents the possibility of future projects on the property that utilize raw materials from the environment.  

“[Maybe] this is also the beginning of a different type of relationship at Swanton Ranch where we could do more design-build type of work there,” Trudell noted. “And I think that that’s a really exciting prospect.” 

1) A student waxes the shed in its final stages 2) The shed, completed, stands on its own at Swanton Pacific Ranch 

Wertz’s structure recently earned him an honorable mention at the third annual Cal Poly Sustainability Awards for demonstrating a commitment to sustainable design and planning. 

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