Grand Teton National Park’s rugged alpine landscape and stunning array of wildlife attracts over two million visitors every year, making it one of our most popular national parks. A new visitor center at the southern entrance to the park near Jackson, Wyoming replaces an outdated, undersized building and is designed to connect visitors more viscerally to this extraordinary landscape.

The program includes indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, interpretive exhibits, information services, an art gallery, a classroom, bookstore, administrative offices, and visitor amenities. The tradition of rustic architecture in the National Parks and the severe alpine climate were significant considerations during the design process.

The building is placed at the edge of the riparian forest in a sagebrush meadow, enabling visitors to sense the meandering river and confront the great mountain range. One is drawn around the edge of the building to a courtyard that all but occludes the Tetons. A colonnade of massive tree trunks borders its perimeter to provide shade and shelter on three sides of the sunlit space.

Visitors passing through the entrance vestibule are compressed before emerging into an expansive light-filled space. They stand in a grove of great columns that recall the primeval forest, confronted by the jagged spires and drama of the Tetons. As a counterpoint to the tranquil court, the interior’s geometry is fractured. This seemingly haphazard arrangement of logs choreographs the movement of people through uplifted forms that house interpretive exhibits. A rugged fireplace is at the building’s psychological and physical heart.

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