Parks Canada Seeking Feedback on Designs for Reimagined Public Space in Banff

Parks Canada is seeking feedback on six conceptual design submissions received for a reimagined visitor centre and community space in the heart of Banff National Park.

Parks Canada, in collaboration with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), launched the design competition in June 2025.

The redevelopment project aims to bring together world-class architects, Indigenous knowledge weavers, and visitor experience specialists to create concepts that reflect shared values and vision and is a rare chance to create a vibrant public space in downtown Banff.

On January 30, 2026, a formal engagement period was launched, which enables Canadians to explore the six submitted conceptual designs and provide feedback on how the elements of each design align with the key themes heard in Phase I of engagement.

The conceptual designs must demonstrate a reflection of Banff National Park’s unique character, authentic incorporation of Indigenous representation, elements that support the local community, and a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.

This is an opportunity to redevelop 10 contiguous lots in downtown Banff into a vibrant public space that provides a true-to-place experience for visitors, which inspires exploration, builds stewardship, and encourages connection.

The six designs include the following.

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Design #1

Design #1 centers on the idea of allowing nature back into town, and proposes a visitor centre that angles itself towards the sun, embraces the southwest winds, expresses an elegantly rugged form, and is built of natural materials found in the Park and throughout Alberta.

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Design #2

Design #2 emphasizes the connection between land, sky, and All Nations. The site unfolds as a journey from civic life to ceremony, shaped by land, sky, and shared responsibility. From Banff Avenue, visitors move into a landscape drawn from the braided channels of the Bow River, where paths weave, diverge, and rejoin, carrying many journeys toward a shared meeting ground. This form reflects the natural systems that shaped the valley and the cultural knowledge of its First Peoples.

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Design #3

Design #3 emerges as a “Living Land Legacy,” a vibrant place where nature, culture, and community interweave to spark connections and discovery both grounded and dynamic, the architecture dissolves boundaries between landscape and built-form, interior and exterior, and residents and visitors to reveal a unique and enduring heart for Banff.

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Design #4

Design #4 aims to link heritage and the future. Innovation and sustainability shape every aspect of the building, from its mass-timber structure that stores carbon to the flowing roof that brings daylight, sheds snow, and creates sheltered outdoor thresholds.

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Design #5

Design #5 seeks to bring the majestic presence of the Rocky Mountains into the urban context, providing an engaging and peaceful new visitor experience. The architectural design emphasizes subtlety, allowing Mount Rundle’s profile to remain the visual focus of the site. The buildings are carefully positioned to frame views to the mountains, connecting the landscape of the Bow Valley directly to the park visitors’ experience.

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Design #6

Design #6 establishes a place of encounter, a symbolic gate that welcomes visitors and marks the threshold of experience. The architecture seeks a sense of spirituality, framing views of the mountains surrounding Banff and acting as an instrument for perceiving and understanding the ancestral land. The architecture is also an homage to the real, embracing the authenticity of materials and the memory of the place, and invites visitors to experience both the physical and symbolic qualities of the land.

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For more information on the designs, click here.

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