Killbear Provincial Park – Visitor Centre

The site, like most of Killbear Provincial Park is recognized by large expanses of exposed Precambrian igneous/metamorphic rock. Perched upon a 2.7 m. cleft, the Centre’s form twists over top of the fissured landscape. The project presents a curatorial route that winds up upon itself to capture the distant view of the peninsula’s southern shoreline, an important geological feature and relevant to the Centre’s storyline. This topographical approach to the design of the Centre’s floor plates merged together two important ambitions; the desire to have the floors mimic the site’s contours and the pursuit of a continuous curatorial path.

The continuous curatorial pathway or promenade provides the visitor with an experience analogous to reading, without the need to retrace one’s steps back to the main circuit or narrative. The Centre’s sloped floors provide a continuous exhibit display walking surface (108 meters in length) through two floor levels without the need for disruptive sets of stairs or elevators. The 5% gradient allows for unlimited access of wheelchair-bound occupants without the use of a segregated route.

Project Description provided by: Urbana Architects Corporation