The tourism industry is among the world’s worst polluters, accounting for 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. To help buck that trend, a new hub for environmental education and sustainable tourism designed by ArchitectureWorks and WATERSHED has opened in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Alabama-based firms designed the new Gulf Coast Ecocenter with the City of Gulf Shores and the Gulf Coast Center for Ecotourism and Sustainability. “This project is an example of what happens when architecture serves a broader environmental and educational mission,” Roger Mainor of ArchitectureWorks said in a statement. “From day one, the client’s vision shaped the design team’s approach—this is a place for hands-on learning, ecological awareness, and joyful connection with the outdoors.” The campus has open-air classrooms, teaching gardens, an adventure challenge course, and maker spaces spread across multiple buildings. (Cary Norton) The new 12-acre campus contains more than 17,000 square feet of space that supports long-term ecological and community resilience on the Gulf Coast, one of the areas most impacted by rising sea levels and temperatures. It has open-air classrooms, teaching gardens, an adventure challenge course, and maker spaces. Like agritourism sites, also growing in popularity, the campus cultivates a connection to land with a suite of activities and programs for visitors to partake in. There are three structures in total. The main building is where a large classroom space is sited. (Cary Norton) Large windows flood the main classroom with natural light. (Cary Norton) A mobility hub offers bicycles for guided excursions along nearby state parks and trails. All of these spaces are meant to encourage students and faculty alike to reconsider their relationship to the land, and envision sustainable futures. The mobility hub has bicycles for guided tours in state parks. (Cary Norton) Economical and attractive wood construction comprises much of the campus. Timber framing topped by pitched roofs, and generous fenestration affords sweeping views of a verdant landscape ripe for plotting greener futures. “The buildings and campus were designed in close collaboration with both educational and maintenance staff, so that they serve as a living laboratory for sustainable living and ecological restoration,” added Rebecca Dunn Bryant, WATERSHED founder and principal. The campus has gardens for students to learn about sustainable agriculture. (Cary Norton) Thermal chimneys and deep porches cool the buildings without the need for mechanical intervention. (Cary Norton) “We used historical climate responsive elements like deep porches, dog trots, and thermal chimneys so that visitors don’t have to retreat to the air-conditioned interiors to be comfortable,” Dunn Bryant continued. “It was important to owners and operators that the campus invite visitors to explore and appreciate the unique ecology of the gulf coast.” The project team is pursuing LEED Gold; and FORTIFIED Commercial Silver certifications, a design standard for resiliency against severe weather events.