National Park Service ~ Everglades City, FL ~ 20.6 acres ~ Construction $47,154,800
ST JOHN Principal Ed Setzler served as AE Project Director for the design, master planning, environmental permitting, and coastal engineering for the replacement of the Gulf Coast Campus of the Everglades National Park, a site globally recognized to be the premier launching point for back-country kayak expeditions through the Everglades. The LEED Silver design consisted of a new visitor center built with hardened hurricane resiliency features and expanded marina infrastructure to support an optimal visitor experience, accounting for 75 years of modeled sea level rise.
Full AE design included a new elevated visitor center with law enforcement headquarters, staff offices, concession space, and shaded outdoor veranda with views of the Chokoloskee Bay. Ground-level spaces include NPS interpretive exhibits, outdoor classroom, public restrooms, vending and picnic area, vehicle drop-off, large group gathering areas, custom hardscapes, and walking trails with connectivity to community businesses.
Expanded site infrastructure includes a kayak and backcountry equipment rental facility, boat ramp, kayak launch, expanded marina footprint, law enforcement docks, watercraft fuel point, sustainable parking, new entry roadway alignment, channel and marina dredging, and the replacement of a failing seawall with a living shoreline of indigenous mangroves.