Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center Exhibits

Mesa Verde, CO, United States

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Mesa Verde Visitor and Research Center Exhibits

Mesa Verde, CO, United States

Firm

EDX Exhibits

Type

Commercial › Exhibition Center
Cultural › Cultural Center Museum
Educational › Other

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2014

SIZE

5000 sqft - 10,000 sqft

EDX was invited by AJC Architects of Salt Lake City Utah to join a collaborative design team for a long- awaited new visitor center at Mesa Verde National Park. The goal, a collaborative team of building and exhibit designers that could, together, shape a project where building and exhibits are seamlessly integrated, creating a compelling and engaging visitor experience.

Working together through multiple iterations of design, a dazzling building with dramatic and engaging exhibits–taking advantage of the building's high ceilings and panoramic views–took form.

The resulting center, located just off the main highway, is designed to provide visitors with initial orientation to the park’s resources, an overview to the story of the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here, and an opportunity to purchase tour tickets for several of the spectacular cliff palaces.

Because of high expected visitation, exhibits were designed to provide brief “snippets” of information to stimulate the visitor’s curiosity to explore the park, its developed sites, and other interpretive venues to learn more. Representatives of the parks affiliated tribes were consulted throughout the project.

EDX- designed areas also included a circular reflection zone, and park store. Exterior interpretive elements, carefully integrated with the building's architecture,
include an orientation plaza providing trip- planning and safety information, a commemorative wall highlighting the park’s 23 affiliated Native American tribes, and an interpretive nature trail.

The exhibits and other public areas, beautifully integrated into and enveloped by the dramatic building, were awarded an Exhibit Design Award in 2014 by the National Association for Interpretation.