Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Welcome Center
Location Cape Charles, VA
Client Eastern Shore Tourism Commission
Date of Completion 2009
Services #Architecture
Sectors #Civic #Community #Hospitality
Contracted by the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission, GMB designed the interiors for a new welcome center that was added to the expansion and renovation of the existing Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel rest area located at the southern terminus of the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
The inviting gazebo design mimics the area’s vernacular style while providing a 360-degree showroom of the area’s amenities. The gazebo was created within the existing space by sloping rafters, an oculus that opens to a faux sky, columns, and beams at each end of the octagon with false railings between housing storage cabinets behind. Each side of the gazebo’s octagon features a built-in wall housing brochures, digital touch screen panels, plasma screen TV, signage, and advertising space for local artisans. The flooring follows the octagon pattern with the center reflecting a tile map of the eastern shore and the “You’ll Love Our Nature” logo. The gazebo rafters and roofing protrude through the entry wall luring visitors into the space.
GMB provided architectural and electrical design services for this project.
