Tekαkαpimək Contact Station

About
Sustainability
Cultural
Awards
Press
Video

About

This wood-framed employee dorm building is spread across 3 floors, including basement mechanicals/storage and laundry. Totaling to 20,308 square feet, this building is designed for 78 occupants. Kebo Street also features a cross-laminated timber elevator shaft that was prefabricated and flown in one piece into the building, resulting in significant time savings.Tekαkαpimək—meaning “as far as one can see” in the Penobscot language—serves as the new welcome center to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation. Situated atop Lookout Mountain, the 7,900-square-foot Contact Station offers visitors expansive views of Mount Katahdin and orients them to 87,000 acres of wilderness. The facility is designed to accommodate up to 242 occupants and significantly improves year-round access to this remote region. As singular as its surroundings, Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is a work of collaborative design and construction, intentionally imbued with Wabanaki knowledge.

Our team coordinated the complex logistics of delivering materials and constructing the facility in a remote location, ensuring the project met the rigorous standards of the National Park Service while staying true to its cultural and environmental context.

All Wabanaki Cultural Knowledge and Intellectual Property shared within this project is owned by the Wabanaki Nations.

Sustainability

The structure combines architectural innovation with regional identity. Designed with minimal use of concrete and steel, the building maximizes its use of forest products and mass timber. Local cedar cladding and 165 custom-fabricated Douglas fir glulam columns are featured prominently throughout. These columns were laminated over a nine-month period in a repurposed potato barn in Patten, Maine, an example of the project team’s commitment to local craftsmanship and sustainable sourcing. The team explored a wide range of forest products to find the ideal balance of durability, appearance, and performance.

The building operates entirely off the grid, powered primarily by a 36.75 kW remote solar array. A propane generator provides rare backup power, but the building’s core energy strategy is passive. A concrete floor system acts as a thermal battery, capturing heat during daylight hours and releasing it during the cold Maine nights. This is supported by a trombe wall, natural cross-ventilation, ceiling fans, and strategic overhangs and shading—dramatically reducing the need for mechanical HVAC systems. Low-flow fixtures, dark-sky-compliant lighting, and on-site water and septic systems round out the building’s low-impact infrastructure, making it net-zero-ready and highly resilient in an off-grid setting.

Cultural

The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is deeply rooted in the cultural history and present-day stewardship of the Wabanaki Nations, particularly the Penobscot people. The design process was informed by direct collaboration with tribal representatives, ensuring the building is not only respectful of the land it inhabits but also an extension of Wabanaki values, aesthetics, and ways of knowing. The building’s sweeping, curved form echoes traditional Wabanaki motifs, while its balconies and interior spaces are aligned to offer unobstructed views of Mount Katahdin, a place of deep spiritual and cultural significance.

Inside, exhibits developed in partnership with Wabanaki communities invite visitors to learn about the land through traditional stories told in both Penobscot and English. A watershed map etched into the floor reinforces the connection between place, language, and identity. Outdoors, an eastern-facing gathering circle welcomes first light and offers a ceremonial space for community events, honoring the Wabanaki as “People of the Dawn.” Crucially, the Wabanaki retain ownership of the cultural knowledge shared within the space, guiding interpretive efforts and ensuring long-term stewardship. This project does more than welcome visitors, it invites them into a living cultural landscape.