WATERTON LAKES VISITOR CENTRE

The new Waterton Lakes National Park Visitor Centre will support the over 400,000 visitors the park with a design that connects the Centre’s indoor and outdoor spaces.

Client: Parks Canada Agency

Location: Waterton National Park, Alberta

Project Type: Buildings, Landscape Architecture

About This Project

In 2016, Parks Canada Agency (PCA) moved forward with a plan to build a new year-round Waterton Lakes National Park Visitor Centre that would better support the over 400,000 visitors the park receives annually. Envisioning a design that would allow for continuity and connectivity between the Centre’s indoor and outdoor spaces, PCA retained Ferrari Westwood Babits Architects (FWBA) to complete the design. FWBA Architects then engaged ISL Engineering and Land Services (ISL) to help bring the design to life via structural and civil engineering, and landscape architectural services.

While ISL’s structural team has been tasked with working on the three buildings, which are seemingly connected through the use of large overhanging canopies and a cantilevered covered walkway system, our landscape architecture team is working in collaboration with FWBA Architects to develop the interpretive site plan.

Aiming to increase the function of programming, communication, learning and relaxing, the landscape will be developed to showcase many of the locally experienced features that Waterton has to offer. Natural wonders like the red rock canyon, mountainous areas, forested and vegetated areas and unique topographies all play a role in how the proposed landscape is tied together.