HOMESTEAD HERITAGE CENTER

“Our staff couldn’t be happier with the impact the Heritage Center has had on the monument. The building, exhibits, and film really help us do our job of explaining and interpreting homesteading history for our visitors.” — Mark Engler, Superintendent, Homestead National Monument of America

Designed to capture the essence of the American pioneering story, the new Homestead Heritage Center “grows from the land” and is a distinguishable form on the landscape. Symbolic of sod being turned by a plow, the upturned roof creates a recognizable destination for visitors entering the Park.

Offering an experience of surprise and discovery, the center embraces the resource it interprets. Intersecting planes of glass admit an abundance of natural light, while offering unobstructed views to the tallgrass prairie that surrounds the center.

■ Exhibits, visitor orientation, theater, bookstore, land record research area and support spaces

■ 160-foot “living wall” exterior exhibit

■ One acre square parking lot, representative of 1/160th of an original homestead

■ Sustainable design features

HOMESTEAD HERITAGE CENTERBeatrice, Nebraska

PIKES PEAK SUMMIT COMPLEX

Finding the perfect balance between a dynamic building that presents a clear destination to visitors and a minimalist structure deferential to the Peak and its majestic views was critical to the design of the new Pikes Peak Summit House. Predominately a one-story form seemingly carved from the southeast side of the Peak, the new Summit House offers the same unobstructed views Katharine Lee Bates beheld as she penned America the Beautiful. Reminiscent of the crags and rock formations found above the tree line, the design uses shade, shadows and fragmentation to coalesce into the Peak. Viewed from below, the Summit House is one with the mountain, yet as one arrives at the Peak, the modest entry pavilion is a clear destination. The building is sited to take advantage of the enhanced solar gain at altitude while minimizing the effect of the harsh alpine winds.

■ Exhibits, visitor orientation, dining, gift shop and support spaces

■ Rooftop terrace with 180 degree unobstructed views

■ Sustainable design features

■ GWWO is serving as Design Architect with RTA Architects as Architect-of-Record

PIKES PEAK SUMMIT COMPLEXColorado Springs, Colorado

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNONFORD ORIENTATION CENTER

“After years of planning...the designers found just the right tone. They struck a balance among the competing forces of client expectations, functional needs, site constraints and opportunities, historical and cultural context, and budget.” — Roger K. Lewis, Architecture Critic & Washington Post Columnist

Upon entering George Washington’s historic estate, the first impression is of an agricultural pasture. Only after turning left do visitors encounter the intimate entry courtyard of the orientation center, the remainder of which is concealed behind a modest garden wall.

This journey metaphorically interprets the one that Washington himself designed for visitors to his home. Inside, the 30,200-SF center features an elliptical floor-to-ceiling wall of glass that embraces nature, visually connecting visitors to Washington’s landscape. After viewing the orientation film, visitors emerge on a woodland walk, a gentle upslope path leading to the estate’s historic grounds and mansion.

■ Two theaters with total seating for 450

■ Orientation exhibits

■ Ticketing, information and retail services

■ Separate individual and group entries

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNONFORD ORIENTATION CENTER Mount Vernon, Virgina

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNON DONALD W. REYNOLDS MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTER

“The firm’s work for the Association over the years has been exceptional...they are at their best when faced with complex Challenges... the success of the buildings is a testament to the imagination, originality and thoughtfulness that GWWO brings to the design process.”—James C. Rees, former President, George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Constructed almost entirely underground, the new Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center has a quiet presence on George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate despite its significant size. On approach, the building virtually disappears, allowing views to the landscape on the opposite side.

As visitors descend the grand stair in the light-filled, two-story entry pavilion, constant visual connections to nature make the transition to the underground space imperceptible. The entrances to the education center and museum exhibits immediately materialize. After viewing them, visitors exit through a glass-enclosed serpentine corridor, curved like the many natural paths present on the estate.

■ 7 permanent and temporary museum galleries

■ 14 education center galleries

■ 3 theaters

■ 2 distance-learning classrooms

GEORGE WASHINGTON’S MOUNT VERNON DONALD W. REYNOLDS MUSEUM AND EDUCATION CENTERMount Vernon, Virginia

FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT & HISTORIC SHRINE VISITOR CENTER

“We are very, very lucky to work with [this] architectural firm ... This is an amazing thing for us. They understand this place.”—Gay Vietzke, Superintendent, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

The primary inspiration for the design of the new visitor center at Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine comes from our nation’s most enduring symbol—the Star-Spangled Banner. The two curved walls of the building reflect the dynamic nature of the flag, while the juxtaposition of the walls—clad in distinct materials—evokes the meanings behind the flag’s stripes.

The upward slope of the brick wall, as revealed by the receding zinc wall, directs the visitor’s eye toward the flag, creating a visual dialogue between the Fort and the visitor center. Inside, a light-filled lobby serves as the central organizing element, directing visitors to the immersive exhibit/theater area, where the experience culminates with a breathtaking framed view of the Fort with flag flying overhead.

■ Combined exhibit and theater “immersion experience”

■ Expanded reception, orientation, retail and office spaces

■ Multi-purpose room for meetings and special events

■ LEED Gold Certified

FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT & HISTORIC SHRINE VISITOR CENTER Baltimore, Maryland

PORT CANAVERAL EXPLORATION TOWER

“Wow. People will want to go see this. I want to see it right now. Plus they’ll want to see our other treasures on the Space Coast. It should boost the whole tourist industry.” —Jerry Allender, Secretary/Treasurer, Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners

The iconic new Port Canaveral Exploration Tower expresses the common characteristics—transience, function and imagery—of Brevard County’s many stories: cruising, the space coast, the military, nature, and beaches. The building’s dynamic form and features—sun louvers, exposed structure and iridescent skin—contribute to a constant sense of movement as the sun plays across the structure, meet functional needs, and evoke imagery of the Port and County. A rocket ready to launch, a surfboard in the sand, a ship’s hull, a rocket contrail, all can be seen in the structure’s striking presence.

■ Exhibits covering 12,000 years of regional history

■ Auditorium, multi-purpose/special event space, gift shop and café

■ Seventh floor observation deck

PORT CANAVERAL EXPLORATION TOWERCape Canaveral, Florida

CYLBURN ARBORETUM VOLLMER CENTER

“The Vollmer Center is a model of what green technology can achieve, illustrating how we can reduce energy use, conserve water and help to restore our environment.” —US Senator Benjamin L. Cardin

The new Cylburn Arboretum Vollmer Center sits quietly within the landscape so as not to detract from or overpower the site’s historic Cylburn Mansion. Interior views are focused out to the Arboretum’s large collection of maple trees, and the exterior features natural materials and a woodland amphitheater.

The new building serves as an orientation and departure point for visitors to the Cylburn Estate and its gardens and historic mansion. The double-height lobby, with large glass windows ringed with clerestories, and multipurpose room also provide flexible space for lectures, films, and plant sales. The design emphasizes the use of sustainable techniques, including an “extensive” green roof over half of the building, waterless composting toilets, geothermal heating and cooling, natural ventilation and sustainable materials.

■ Multipurpose room accommodating up to 250

■ Offices, catering kitchen and support spaces

■ Extensive green roof, geothermal heating & cooling and waterless composting toilets

CYLBURN ARBORETUM VOLLMER CENTERBaltimore, Maryland

MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES

Founded as part of Montana State University to study and interpret the remarkable region in which it is located, the Museum of the Rockies if the largest natural history museum in the Northern Rockies.

Renovations to the existing museum and a major addition will enhance efficiency and provide a flexible gallery experience conducive to changing exhibits. An inviting new entry sequence will give the museum a more considerable presence on the campus and a dramatic entry atrium will offer opportunities for donor recognition and gathering space for both tour groups and off-hours special events.

■ Exhibit galleries, paleontology labs, collections storage, curatorial workrooms, classrooms and admin spaces

■ Planetarium

■ Multi-purpose space for museum and community events

■ Design Architect: GWWO, Inc./Architects; Managing Firm: ThinkOne Architects

MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIESBozeman, Montana

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARKVISITOR CENTER

“The efforts of the design team could not have provided a more appropriate or fitting representation for Everglades National Park.” — Charles P. Clapper, former Director, National Park Service

After the devastation rendered by Hurricane Andrew to Everglades National Park, GWWO worked with the National Park Service to design a new visitor center that would more effectively integrate with and withstand its surrounding natural environment.

Like the path of the hurricane, a singular wall slashes through the center of the exhibit space, serving as the structure’s organizing element and standing as a constant reminder of the divisive forces of nature. The incorporation of indigenous architectural forms and materials, which are inherently hurricane resistant, combined with additional safeguards such as sliding shutters, ensures rapid response and continual hurricane readiness. Sustainable elements such as solar shading, natural ventilation and the use of woods and other materials made from recycled refuse unite to exemplify the client’s mission and ideals.

■ Interior & exterior interpretive exhibits, orientation services and wildlife viewing pavilion

■ Multipurpose room, theater, and bookstore

■ Sustainable design features

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK VISITOR CENTERHomestead, Florida

HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD VISITOR CENTER

Conceived as a series of abstracted forms that can be interpreted in many ways—from the farmstead vernacular to stations along the Underground Railroad—this new visitor center is intended to immerse visitors in the story of Tubman’s life, taking them on a journey from her childhood through to her efforts associated with Underground Railroad resistance movement.

The story-telling begins when visitors turn onto a new access road and immediately get a sense of the place and the landscape. An inviting and clear entry sequence draws them to the building. Views out from inside give visitors an on-going visual connection to the environment, while the orientation film experience prepares them for the rest of the interior exhibits. Upon exiting the center, a memorial garden beckons visitors to reflection and tribute.

■ Exhibits, orientation theater, offices and park administration spaces

■ Memorial garden, picnic pavilions, drinking well and information kiosks

■ Designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification

HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD VISITOR CENTERCambridge, Maryland

CADE MUSEUM FOR CREATIVITY + INVENTION

“I think this project can change our community. It can change the children of our community. It can change the adults in our community…” —David Molyneaux, Board Member, Cade Museum Foundation

Conceived as a metaphor for the human brain, design for this new museum was inspired from a passage out of Tennyson’s Ulysses: “I am part of all that I have met; yet all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades forever when I move.”

The Museum is organized around one space—the Main Hall—where all experiences come together. Like Ulysses in Tennyson’s poem, this space is a part of all of the spaces in the museum, yet at the same time becomes the foundation upon which they are experienced. A distinguishable form, the Main Hall draws visitors in from Main Street with views into and through the museum. Individual wedge-shaped galleries grow organically from its core. An oculus to the sky, symbolic of Tennyson’s “arch”, opens the space to the universe and all that it holds.

■ Interactive exhibits, outdoor events terraces, classrooms and an invention laboratory

■ Constant views to reclaimed Depot Park

■ Overlapping panels of textured metal symbolic of ideas and experiences coming together

CADE MUSEUM FOR CREATIVITY + INVENTIONGainesville, Florida