Modellus Novus participated in a national competition to reimagine a nationally-landmarked visitors’ center in Yellowstone National Park, repositioning the existing lodge as it was originally intended: a modern, welcoming gathering place situated humbly in a pristine landscape. After decades of piecemeal adjustments, MN’s design approach reestablished the clarity, scale, and materiality of the original building.

At the exterior, the existing roof would be reclad in deeply-hued zinc shingles, making the building appear as a silhouette in the landscape. The project planned for a warm and luminous interior, at once both airy and intimate. Tailored in collaboration with a programming and nutrition specialist, the proposal—which earned a second place finish—was conceived holistically, combining architecture, food, and services seamlessly to accommodate the requirements laid out in response to the National Park System’s original design brief, issued in 1966.