The “clustering” concept can also be applied to billboards and 
other highway advertising. Scattered advertising signs can be re- 
moved from our roads and replaced by selected, w ell-designed road- 
side turnouts where an attractive sign mall advertises business and 
products available in the nearby community. A small building may 
be added for the dispensing of pamphlets and information, as well asa 
telephone shelter for those who wish to make reservations or 
appointments. 
To be acceptable in the natural environment, individual forest 
structures such as observation-point shelters, informational signs and 
exhibits. recreation facilities, and visitor centers should be conceived 
in terms of beauty of both form and function. 
Functional Beauty 
A truly effective structure must be convenient, work well, and 
serve its intended purpose. User traffic should flow to, into, through, 
around, and away from the structure in a planned, logical sequence. 
Its parts and materials must be in balance with each other and with 
the type and amount of expected use. For example, durable floor- 
ing should be used where traffic is heaviest, and adequate seating 
should be available where elderly people tend to pause and rest. 
Beauty of Form 
The beauty of the forest structure is dependent, at least in part, 
upon the beauty of the site. The two must be integrated in a way 
that emphasizes the best features of each. If the designer decides that 
the structure (a picnic or overlook shelter, for example) should be 
in complete harmony with its surroundings, the site itself should be 
allowed to suggest the plan, form, and location. The site should be 
altered only as necessary to take advantage of its best features. 
Masonry, using local rock, could exhibit the desired features of 
permanence and firmness. In this way, the transition from the 
natural surroundings to the man-made structure, from the exterior 
to the interior, is made gradual and unobtrusive. 
53 
