PRiDiAN Design Group

The design for the Colorado Welcome Center draws upon Northern Colorado’s past and present landscapes for inspiration. Conifer rows similar to local windbreaks shelter buildings from the elements and serve as wildlife corridors that connect the adjacent natural area to the welcome center. Constructed landforms rise up into striking hogbacks, and landforms created around the truck stop reconstruct in miniature the prehistoric ocean and uplifting mountains of the Cretaceous Period. Viewsheds and experiences are protected and created throughout the site. Rows of crabapples frame Long’s Peak, and the earthen pyramid creates a platform for uninterrupted views of the surrounding plains and foothills.