Part 2: Designing to the Scale of the Site and the Province
THE ISSUE OF SCALE: AN OVERVIEW
Ecological, cultural, and economic contexts occur
at various scales. In terms of context for our
built environment, we consider national, province,
and site scales.
On the national scale, the Forest Service should
be identified with quality facilities that reflect the
agency’s stewardship mission through integration
with the setting, use of the Forest Service shield,
and consistent application of the family of signs.
Additionally, certain planning and design
principles and elements are common to the built
environment throughout the Nation. These
common principles are described in the first
section of chapter 4.
A Nation as large as the United States contains
great variety within its ecological and cultural
contexts, which has a direct effect on
architectural character. Within this guide, the
province is the main determinant of architectural
character. A province combines common elements
from the ecological and cultural contexts over
large geographical areas. This begins to suggest
sustainable strategies that work within a
province. The remainder of this chapter includes
extensive descriptions of the provinces and their
architectural character.
Finally, the site scale will determine suitable
architectural character types and sustainable
strategies. For each project, tailor design
elements such as colors and building materials to
the specific site and to fit the local context,
including the economic context. Other site
considerations include ecology, vegetation,
climate, and topography; the ROS setting; and
the patterns of use by visitors, concessionaires,
and employees.
In some cases, a special area or development
complex may develop a specific architectural
theme to ensure consistency throughout an area.
The process of adapting individual projects to
their context and developing architectural themes
is described in chapter 5.