Alan Reed, president and design principal of GWWO, knows a little bit about a lot. The Baltimore- and West Hartford, Connecticutbased architecture firm he leads found a niche designing interpretive centers across the United States. The practice has worked on national parks, national monuments, and history museums from Floridas southern tip, the top of Pikes Peak, to the grassy plains of Nebraska. Designing interpretive centers is no copy-paste exercise; each is purposefully conceived for the story it was made to tell, and pays heed to environmental and landscape conditions. The firms recently completed welcome center at Niagara Falls State Park exemplifies this ethos. The 28,000-square-foot facility has a low-profile and glass to maximize views and connections to the sites main attraction: the waterfalls.The roofs of the new facilities built for Niagara Falls State Park reference the roof on the historic administration building, also located on the grounds. (Tom Holdsworth)Story-based design is the belief that architecture can and should reference the story being told, Reed told AN. And in doing so, people make more personal and emotional connections to the story. The experience is much more memorable, enjoyable, and I think at the end of the day, timeless. Connecting Environment With HistoryGWWOs first visitor center was a venue, completed in 1995, for the Everglades National Park that replaced a structure destroyed by Hurricane Andrew. This typology has really evolved over the years, Reed observed. It used to be two things: either a nondescript box that just housed exhibits or it was an architectural edifice. But today, as Reed observes at the interpretive centers the firm works on, the content communicated through placards and programming inspires the approach and materials employed in the architecture.At Everglades National Park the Seminole chickee was a point of reference for the design. (Courtesy GWWO)At Everglades National Park, in the visitors center by GWWO, stories explore the Seminole tribe, the early settlers of the region, to convey the full scope of the historic place. The Seminole chickee was a point of reference for the design of the parks visitor center, most notably its pole and truss construction combined with the prominent triangular silhouette of its roofline. The building also magnifies tales of natural disasters, mimicking a hurricane making landfall with a singular wall that cuts through the visitor centers floorplan. An Act of Co-CreationAn important aspect of making interpretive centers today is the research and brainstorming work that takes place even before a workable scheme for the building is established. Reed said, often before GWWO even engages with a client, it investigates the history of a site through books, documentaries, and visits. This preliminary research informs an early design that is then shared with stakeholders and the public.GWWO keeps an open mind during these engagement sessions. We might put up our thoughts about what we think the stories are and where the design might go, but then we sit back , we listen, and we get input again from all those various voices, Reed explained.A restroom facility wrapped in stone was also built at Niagara Falls State Park. (Tom Holdsworth)Reeds team also works with exhibition designers and landscape architects on the projects. Typically the architecture firm takes the lead, but all three entities operate in close collaboration.I always say those three disciplines are critical in telling the story, Reed said, adding that we try to insist that those three are involved from the beginning. Refreshing Niagara FallsBefore GWWO, the Niagara Falls State Park drew criticism for its over-built, asphalt-intensive, and commercial nature of the scenic landscape and location. GWWO was tasked with reconnecting the site with its nature and history, and did so through the construction of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Welcome Center, which opened in December 2023.Theres what we call the essence of the project, which, in Niagara, the essence of that site is nature, Reed said. And so there, unlike some buildings weve done, we wanted a quiet building that sort of goes away.GWWO opted to use glass for the welcome center to make the building disappear. (Tom Holdsworth)To emphasize the waterfalls, GWWO replaced what was a generic, nondescript building with one designed to almost disappear into the sloped site. Nestling the structure into the hilly landscape has sustainable benefits too: it keeps heating and cooling demand to a minimum. The new welcome center and restroom facility were oriented to frame views of the waterfall and skyline. The idea was to draw immediate attention to the cascading water. The dark color and low profile of the roof overhang on the two new buildings was modeled after the one topping the neighboring administration building, which has been on the site since 1902. Solar panels were installed along the buildings perimeter for obvious sustainable reasons, but also to allude to (and interpret) the sites historic connection to power generation, the architects shared.The frit on the glass exterior was conceived to mimic running water. (Tom Holdsworth)At Niagara Falls State Park, interpreted stories include the legacy of Seneca, Haudenosaunee, and others tribes and First Nations that long-inhabited the area; the fall of the city burdened by the collapse of industry; and of course, the nature itself. GWWO selected glass for maximum transparency. A custom frit pattern mimicking running water adorns the panes, which also aids in preventing bird collisions. Local stone, from the Niagara Escarpment, was paired with the glazing as a rugged, earthy offset. When set as the floor of the visitors center, the gray-hued stone was flurry cutmeaning, sliced parallel to its natural plane to reveal patternswhile the walls were vein cut. This arrangement gives the appearance of water flowing over the stone.The stone floors were cut so as to give the appearance water had washed over them. (Tom Holdsworth)A staircase was lined with frosted glass walls that allude to the mist of the nearby waterfalls. (Tom Holdsworth)Inside, the glass affords views out to the verdant landscape. A staircase lined with frosted glass winds through the space programmed with dining, retail, and information desks. As visitors climb the steps they are placed in the midst of the treetops surrounding the site.GWWO worked with trusted partners: Fisher Associates envisioned a landscape with wayfinding and placemaking in mind that supplements GWWOs built contributions and the natural beauty of the state park, and Haley Sharpe Design was responsible for the projects exhibition design. And in the spirit of co-creation, a constant stakeholder in the projects conception were local Indigenous leaders. With work on the welcome center completed, phase two is now underway. Soon, interpretive museum space, immersive experiences, outdoor exhibits, and interpretive signage will be realized on the site.Improvements were also made around the site to improve wayfinding and placemaking. (Tom Holdsworth)Who Speaks?In an op-ed Reed wrote for AN about interpretive centers in 2022, he said its function can be measured by asking: For whom does this building make room? Who does it speak to, and whom does it allow to speak? Reed said the job of an interpretive center is to teach and to piece together history and place. Its goal is to make history and nature accessible and digestible so connections can be made. This process of education, when designed correctly, takes place while on site and lingers in the minds of visitors long after, too.You can never extract the story from the building, from the design, Reed observed. If buildings connect to stories, they become timeless.