VISITORS’ CENTER

ARCH 356 Studio

VISITING SCHOLAR Laura Salazar Altobelli and Pablo Sequero SPRING 2023

This project was designed in two and a half weeks and acts as a starting point for our Building Constructions II, Environmental Controls II, and Structures II courses. Therefore, there were primary design choices regarding constructability and efficiency as the project would be handed off to a student team to fully develop and test the building through various simulations. Despite the project’s short design lifespan, the concept remained a central focus.

This visitors’ center resides between an abandoned mill in Bozeman, Montana and the East Gallatin River. The center aims to root itself in the strong Bozeman culture that values outdoor activity and the economic history of Story Mill, while simultaneously establishing educational and visual connections to the mill itself and the natural wetlands. The top deck is lined with educational plaques and activity areas that aim to explore the mill’s destruction of the wetlands along with restorative efforts made by the Trust of Public Land. The bottom level provides river activity and viewing access on boardwalks with west-facing facades featuring an operable screen that provides evenly distributed light and reduced heating loads.