[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Yellowstone Up Close and Personal Chat Page Version 1.60 ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by TravelingBear (12.73.186.132) on 12:13:10 07/27/12
In Reply to: And, speaking of handy stone work posted by Granite Head
Like it or not, the size "problem" with the new VEC is a result of accommodating the sheer number of visitors at Old Faithful and also providing some administrative space for the rangers who work there. That places is crowded from June to September.
I started visiting the park as a kid as Mission 66 was getting underway and saw the buildings at Canyon when they were brand new. They were a real kick in the eyeballs since they were in stark contrast to all of the previous construction in the park. I still have postcards showing off those new modern buildings.
Now, most people accept the buildings at Canyon as just another phase in Parkitecture at Yellowstone.
I actually like the new Canyon Visitor Center exhibits better than the ones at the new Old Faithful VEC. I think they are better designed and tell the story more clearly.
I went back to look at our photos taken from Observation Point after reading this thread. The new Old Faithful VEC is not small but the sloping roof color blends in with the parking lots behind it and what really stands out in our photos is the mass of the Snow Lodge behind it.
Short of building structures that look like they are 100 years old, I am not sure what alternative there is to constructing something modern that has architectural nods to the surrounding buildings (which the new VEC does have).
I was amazed that an architectural firm from Billings could get the roof lines and snow flow off of it so wrong in their design. I'm sure there have been some heated meetings between the architect and the NPS about that.
Not only did the snow sliding off the roof require the entrance on the geyser side to be blocked off in the spring, after the first winter (2010-2011) there was damage to the structure from snow and ice sliding down that roof and hitting some of the nearby vertical surfaces on the building.
Many of us watching the OFVEC webcam wondered about the caution tape visible in the image. I finally asked a friend who worked in the park, who explained that it was because of the icy snow pile in front of the doors and the danger of more coming down.
Here in the Colorado mountains most buildings with steep roof slopes have snow guards (horizontal metal bars) mounted on the roof in areas over the building entrances so that the snow stays in place rather than turning into an avalanche onto the sidewalk. Of course that means designing the structure to support the worst-case snow load and having a very secure attachment for the guard bars in those sections.
The dents in the vertical panels were still visible in June of this year, along with missing shingles and other damage although it looked like they were preparing to do some work on the building.
Glad to hear it is being done under warranty.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Yellowstone Up Close and Personal Chat Page Version 1.60 ] [ FAQ ]