Jasper, Alberta
The Columbia Icefield located in the Sunwapta Valley in Alberta is no ordinary location for visitor experience planning! Origin Studios with their partner team at the Pursuit Banff Jasper Collection have embarked on a five-year site refresh of the Columbia Icefield Skywalk. We are enhancing the visitor experience by offering relevant and timely interpretive interventions at each of the six existing visitor stations along the walkway. Using placemaking as a foundation, visitors can explore the glacial and geological history of the icefield, the cultural importance the site holds for local Indigenous communities and visiting explorers, the plant and animal life of the area, as well as the feats of engineering that were required to build the glass-floored skywalk 280 metres above the ravine below.
Bringing an inclusive and accessible lens to the site’s offerings through universal design best practice; visitors will find up-to-date research, sharp graphic styling, meaningful interactives, and clever infographics. The strength of the annual refresh approach allows for maximum flexibility and the ability to quickly respond to site-specific opportunities and global discussions as they arise, all without an interruption in the exceptional visitor experience.
The Columbia Icefield is a fitting location in Canada to have authentic and honest conversations about the effects of climate change to the glacier, and it is with this placemaking focus that the team is embarking on real change at the site. By inviting visitors to reflect on the importance of the glacier while enjoying the incredible vista, the annual enhancements to the interpretive experience encourages them to keep the conversation going long after they return home.