VJAA

Location: Northern Minnesota

The Goose Creek Safety Rest Area is located on Interstate 35 at the gateway to upper Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region and the North Shore of Lake Superior. Expanding on a transportation agenda for public safety and wellness, this new rest-stop typology focuses on leisure and play as a respite from the speed and monotony of highway travel. Its design is as much about the efficiency of accessing basic amenities as it is an apparatus for slowing people down. The new facility encourages visitors to stop and rest and is also a space for social gathering, informal uses and impromptu conversations between travelers.

The original “rest stop” was designed in the 1960s as a series of circular forms distributed along a bluff. To preserve the memory of the site for travelers and the role of the original structures for wayfinding, the redesign of the structures on the site maintained the circularity of the elements and organic trail patterns and adapted them to new social spaces and uses. The building geometry springs from a series of intersecting elliptical circulation paths drawn from the original, with each one relating to the site in a different way.  

An elevated walkway that circles the exterior of the building encourages movement; connecting the two entries and providing a generous overlook to the creek. A children’s play area adjacent to a circular trellised shading canopy with site seating encourages parents to sit comfortably for extended periods while their children play. Trails connect to the larger site and more remote picnic areas.

Awards: Architizer A+ Awards Finalist, 2022 AIA/ Transportation Design Honor Award, 2020 AIA MN Honor Award, 2019