A VISITOR CENTER AND A WATER TOWER
A VISITOR CENTER AND A WATER TOWER, 2021
︎ Class: SNAFU, Advanced Studio
︎ Typology: Civic
︎ Location: ?
The Visitor Center explores notions of rurality and wilderness in American national and regional park building design. The National Parks Service has adopted a rustic form of architectural decoration (affectionally dubbed “park-itechture”) as a guidline for use across its buildings.
When examined closer, many of the architectural elements in NPS buildings are lifted from Midwestern rural architecture: farm houses, four-squares, and ranch homes. The rurality of the Midwest cannot be conflated with wilderness, as its fields are aggressively controlled and domesticated.
The Visitor Center incorporates typical Midwestern forms and “park-techtural” elements (wood shingles, log construction) into the local flora and fauna. A forest of bio-engineered columns elevate the building, while grasses and moss grow between the logs,both inside and out, creating a home for a diverse ecosystem of micro-organisms. Rather than sheltering, the Visitor Center engulfs its inhabitants with the wild.
︎ Class: SNAFU, Advanced Studio
︎ Typology: Civic
︎ Location: ?
The Visitor Center explores notions of rurality and wilderness in American national and regional park building design. The National Parks Service has adopted a rustic form of architectural decoration (affectionally dubbed “park-itechture”) as a guidline for use across its buildings.
When examined closer, many of the architectural elements in NPS buildings are lifted from Midwestern rural architecture: farm houses, four-squares, and ranch homes. The rurality of the Midwest cannot be conflated with wilderness, as its fields are aggressively controlled and domesticated.
The Visitor Center incorporates typical Midwestern forms and “park-techtural” elements (wood shingles, log construction) into the local flora and fauna. A forest of bio-engineered columns elevate the building, while grasses and moss grow between the logs,both inside and out, creating a home for a diverse ecosystem of micro-organisms. Rather than sheltering, the Visitor Center engulfs its inhabitants with the wild.