THE CHALLENGE
Reimagining the Welcome Center of Tomorrow
Step into the future of travel—where architecture meets innovation. This design competition challenges students to envision a next-generation Welcome Center, crafted primarily from concrete masonry products. Far from ordinary rest stops, these centers are gateways to new experiences, offering a place of arrival, pause, and possibility.
Your mission? Transform this essential welcome center into a dynamic landmark, multifunctional hub. The future Welcome Center must weave together a tapestry of uses: a beacon for visitor information, a culinary stopover with one or more restaurant outlets, a communal dining space, zones for rest and relaxation, child-friendly play areas, accessible restrooms, a pet relief station, emergency aid facilities, and critically, areas of refuge. It must be universally accessible, resilient in the face of change, and forward-thinking in its design.
As you shape your vision, consider how we move, rest, connect, and explore. Rethink what it means to welcome travelers. Can a Welcome Center inspire curiosity, create comfort, and celebrate place—all at once?
Concrete masonry, your building block, is more than just stone and grit. It is versatile, enduring, and expressive—ready to mold both form and function into an architectural narrative that stands the test of time.
Welcome centers—also called visitor centers or tourist information hubs—have long marked our journeys. The first of their kind opened in May 1935 in New Buffalo, Michigan, beside U.S. Route 12. It stood not just as a rest area, but as a storyteller for the state—offering comfort, knowledge, and a sense of arrival. Today, they appear at ports of entry across highways, city cores, parks, and historic sites.
Now it’s your turn to write the next chapter. How will you welcome the future?
About the Competition
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) is pleased to announce the Concrete Masonry Design Competition for the 2025-2026 academic year. The competition is a partnership with the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA). The competition will challenge students, working individually or in teams, to explore a variety of design issues related masonry construction on a Welcome Center with an emphasis on rethinking the future of travel and how these facilities function.