| The National Park System represents the most significant of the landscapes of the United States. They may be significant for their majestic scenery, incredible geological formations, remains of ancient cultures, or through being iconic milestones in the history of the United States.;The two historic major building programs, Rustic Era and Mission 66 Era, helped to shape the development of the built environment in the National Parks. Case studies representative of projects from those Eras were conducted to learn from the principles and practices used by designers during those periods.;Today, there is no one standard or design philosophy for development in the National Parks. There is no consistency of approach to construction among individual park units. Some projects are exemplary and some are out of scale, out of place, and out of touch. New system-wide design principles are needed to protect our greatest national treasures and to provide for improved visitor experiences. New design principles must respect the historic integrity of each site, and provide for visitor interpretation, but most importantly they need to protect and preserve those resources that resulted in the original establishment of the park.;The Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2016. Now is the ideal time to develop a set of design principles for system-wide implementation to provide a consistent approach to projects being sited and built in the National Parks during this centennial period. In 2009, Congress designated economic stimulus funds for Park Service use, providing a unique opportunity to design and construct needed projects within the Parks, and concurrently implement a consistent set of principles.;A proposed new set of principles has been developed. They are based on research of the mission statement and goals of the Park Service, and an analysis of the historic precedents of the Rustic Era and the Mission 66 Era. The design characteristics of these Eras, in combination with the current needs of the parks, have been used to formulate the set of draft principles. These proposed principles have been illustrated through their application to the Painted Desert Complex, in Petrified Forest National Park. |
