New Energy Works creates heavy timber gateway for Acadia National Park

New Energy Works has completed its contribution to the Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton, Maine, an 11,000 square foot visitor hub designed as a new point of arrival for Acadia National Park.

The project has been named Popular Choice Winner in the Sustainable Infrastructure Project category at the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards, recognising its role as both civic infrastructure and a carefully crafted timber building.

Conceived as a cathedral like gateway for park visitors, the building is defined by a large exposed timber frame made from 460 individual Douglas fir timbers. A custom curved glulam entry element forms the main architectural gesture, drawing visitors into the building and marking the transition from road infrastructure to national landscape.

Inside, large trusses, long timber spans and expansive glazing create a generous public interior where the structure remains fully visible. Traditional wood on wood joinery is combined with integrated steel connections, allowing the building to achieve spans of up to 42 feet while retaining the warmth and tactility of heavy timber construction.

The Acadia Gateway Center extends the experience of the park before visitors enter the landscape itself. Timber, daylight and broad views are used to create a direct connection between architecture and nature, giving the building a strong biophilic character.

Outside the main welcome centre, a timber frame bus shelter and information kiosk support visitor movement and orientation. Sustainable systems, including rooftop solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling, further position the project as an environmentally considered piece of public infrastructure.

New Energy Works designs and builds timber frame homes, commercial buildings and high performance enclosures from its studios, production shops and mills in New York and Oregon.

Project Credit

Project: Acadia Gateway Center
Location: Trenton, Maine, United States
Design firm: New Energy Works / @newenergyworks
Area: 11,000 sq ft
Photographer: Scott Hemenway Photography