The Mount Umunhum summit, trailhead picnic area, turnaround shelter, and summit visitor center provides a gathering point for visitors. As architects and engineers on the project, Ware Associates investigated the creation of a “caretaker” building aesthetic. The goal was to create structures that wouldn’t dominate the natural beauty of the site, yet were durable enough to withstand peak winds of 150 mph. Ware Associates created a new park-structure vocabulary, inspired by WPA styling and the Civilian Corps projects from the New Deal era.

The shelters were also designed to reduce fire and life safety risks as necessary for the Wildlife Urban Interface zone. The performance-based design was characterized by primarily non-combustible materials, a cantilevered concrete platform, high-strength concrete, steel moment frames, and fire-retardant treated heavy timber truss construction. Shelter placement also ensured a minimum of 50 FT of defensible space on all sides.