Portfolio : Civic/Public
Southeast Alaska Discovery Center
USDA Forest Service
Ketchikan, Alaska
"Very well done. Displays and exhibits meet or exceed Smithsonian quality. You should be very proud."
- Visitor
This Forest Service facility, located near Ketchikan's cruise ship docks, is the first contact cruise ship visitors have with public lands in Alaska. Exhibits in the lobby provide an overview of Alaska, while the exhibit galleries focus on Southeast Alaska's natural and cultural history. In addition, the facility provides information for trip planning, audio-visual programs, lecture series, and exchange programs. The Alaska Natural History Association bookstore is centrally located in the lobby.
The design concept recalls the form and spirit of the old cannery buildings that were found throughout coastal Alaska, and is fully in keeping with the character of this waterfront site. An exposed timber frame and lapped wood siding convey the feel and scale of the traditional cannery/mill structures.