Projects: Arts and Culture

Writing-on-Stone Visitor Centre

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Alberta, LEED^® Gold Certified

Located in the pristine Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, this new visitor and interpretive Centre reflects the history of the area and the sacred cultural values of its First Nations people. The Park itself has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and holds the largest concentration of Aboriginal rock art on the North American Plains. Shaped like a traditional tipi, the environmentally sustainable structure houses ancient artifacts and stories of the land and its inhabitants from centuries ago.

The building acts as a welcoming beacon atop the silent, towering cliffs and unique wind-blasted rock formations (known as Hoodoos). The Visitor Centre covers 6,997 sf. and was designed to reflect its solemn surroundings, while minimizing site disturbance. The basic footprint and low profile harmonizes with its neighbouring landscape.

Beamed, vaulted ceilings and an open façade accentuate the 360° views of prairie skies meeting the Milk River Valley and Sweetgrass Hills of Montana. The flat roof is designed to act as a natural storm water collection system, reducing soil erosion on the site, and the energy efficient aesthetic invites natural light and ventilation for a truly uncommon cultural experience.

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