| ||
|
The "Red Bench" fire roared through Glacier National Park in 1988, destroying several maintenance buildings at Polebridge, a backcountry entrance to the park. The Polebridge Entrance Station project included the design and construction of a new entrance stations, was well as replacement of a fire cache, maintenance building, flammable storage building and generator building. The design team need to return the facilities to full operation as quickly as possible, which enhancing visitor access to the area. The station virtually ties together the entrance and service area with the surrounding region, giving the impression of a rural ranch compound much like the farms and ranches along the road to the entrance. The project combines modern architecture with traditional construction, preserving the old-time appearance of log cabin structures in a modern facility.
|
CREDITS...
JURY COMMENTS... A few small, utilitarian structures "dressed up" as log cabins seem unlikely candidates for a transportation design award, but these modest facilities for Glacier Park are in the historic tradition of national park architecture. They are seen as the progeny on a modest budget of the great Ahwahnee Hotel or Scotty's Castle. Their architecture is appropriate to the imagery of the part and not inappropriate (given some technical adaptations for weather protection) to their location and function. Their design is easy, not overdone.
|
