The sustainable Inks Lake State Park headquarters cedes the stage to natural habitat
Located in the hilly landscape of Burnet County, Texas, and considered the “jewel of the Highland Lakes Chain,” Inks Lake has recently experienced an influx of weekend campers and day-trippers from the rapidly growing Austin area. Inks Lake State Park radically reimagined its entry sequence to accommodate this increase in visitors with the addition of a new headquarters building, which is sustainably designed to embody the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s mission.
Natural Beauty
Inks Lake State Park was created alongside its “twin” greenspace, Longhorn Cavern State Park, between 1934 and 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). One of the primary efforts at Inks Lake was the construction of a series of drainage culverts that allowed water to flow unobstructed beneath roads and footpaths on its way to the lake. Fragments of these utilitarian structures, built with care and pride by the men of the CCC, still remain. Designed by Texas-based firm McKinney York Architects, the new Inks Lake State Park headquarters draws inspiration from these culverts as a symbolic gateway to the lake.
The headquarters creates a singular entry point for visitors, marking the moment of passage into the park. It is defined by a shaded central breezeway, bounded at each end by a grand stone arch that reflects the form of the historic culverts. The low-slung structure is articulated in two complementary forms—a massive stone structure and an airy timber volume—inspired by the earth and the forest, respectively. The heavy stone mass anchors the building in the landscape, grounding the arched entryway through which visitors can find the registration lobby and public restrooms. The trabeated timber structure houses offices and a conference room, which are illuminated by abundant daylighting, and overlook an adjacent outdoor terrace. Both volumes float beneath a unifying roof with deep overhangs, designed to offer shaded relief from the relentless Texas sun. The large amount of shade provided by the roof enabled the design team to use darker-toned siding to create a recessive effect, helping the building integrate into the surrounding landscape. The headquarters is situated naturally on the site, humbly inviting visitors to pass through its gateway to enjoy the park beyond.
This is not an architecture that celebrates itself as an object of sculpture. It is a simple reflection of its place and program—of the natural beauty of the wood and stones and sky of Inks Lake.
Sustainability: First Design
The mission of the State Parks Division within the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is to “conserve natural and cultural resources, provide recreational and educational opportunities, and foster an understanding of the diversity of Texas' lands and heritage for all generations.” The design team’s priorities in the new headquarters’ development align with this mission: the building and parking layout nestles into the existing tree canopies to minimize environmental disruption, and on-site materials were reclaimed during construction. Additional sustainability ideas, such as the selection of low-maintenance and durable materials, integration of daylighting, water-conserving fixtures, improved equipment efficiency, and use of natural ventilation were also incorporated by the design team.
The building’s material palette is reflective of these sustainability efforts. Use of local Central Texas limestone helped the project blend into its natural setting, but more importantly, minimized the material’s travel time and related carbon footprint. Durable cementitious siding that mimics the scale and appearance of lumber was selected for the remainder of the building’s exterior. The material has integral color, eliminating the need to paint on-site and providing UV stability. Cementitious siding also has bug- and rot-resistant properties; its use provides a long-term, very low-maintenance exterior. The building’s soffit detail contains no exposed rafters or niches where insects typically nest, further reducing maintenance needs. Elements that are completely sheltered from UV rays and moisture—such as eaves, soffits, and outdoor ceilings—were constructed with natural, sustainably harvested Texas lumber. Interior materials were carefully chosen by the design team to minimize the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being released into the air. The furniture finishes selected by the design team are full of nods to the surrounding landscape, including the fabric chosen for the conference room chairs, which symbolically weaves together the blue waves of the lake with the green leaves of the trees.
The headquarters building is oriented to minimize solar-heat gain and related energy consumption. On the west side, the windowless stone mass containing public restrooms and utilities shades the rest of the building from the ubiquitous Texas sun. The back-of-house timber volume is defined by a 10-foot column grid, which creates a forest-like rhythm, and allows the use of infill panels of glass or siding to provide varying degrees of privacy for offices and meeting spaces. These areas all utilize low-E glazing to reduce solar heat gain, and in spaces that are exposed to direct sunlight, fritted glazing was installed to control glare and further reduce potential heat gain. The volume’s interior partitions are also glazed; light moves freely across the building, minimizing glare conditions by evenly distributing daylight throughout the space. Outdoor views were maintained in all offices and in the conference room to promote employee well-being and support TPWD’s mission of connecting people with nature.
This project required thoughtful siting to preserve the surrounding indigenous trees and avoid disturbing the wildlife during nesting season. The design team ensured that the site layout was completed far enough in advance to allow for any necessary tree removals before the start of nesting season. Several of the trees were salvaged and milled into lumber, which was then used to create benchtops, doors, tabletops, and cabinets in the new headquarters facility, giving them a second life within the park. Additional efforts focused on preserving and enhancing natural drainage paths, restoring their health so they can work with the culverts to direct water across the site and into Inks Lake. Native, drought-tolerant plantings around the perimeter of the headquarters strengthen the building’s bond with the land, flanking the breezeway and framing vistas of the surrounding landscape.
Christy Seals, the Architecture Program Manager with TPWD’s Infrastructure Division, was involved with the project during design and construction. She says, “The building design pays homage to the park’s CCC past through its stone detailing and entry arch. Visitors will find respite from the Texas sun in the shade of the breezeway and maybe, just maybe, catch a glimpse of the glittering waters of the lake beyond. When they check in at the counter, they might brush up against the mesquite cabinetry, harvested from the site, and feel a direct connection to this beautiful Hill Country landscape.”
The new Inks Lake State Park headquarters is designed to blend into the background, ceding the spotlight to the beauty of the Texas Hill Country. It aims to reduce the amount of time visitors spend waiting in line or in their cars, and increase their time spent in nature instead. The park can do its own teaching. The project team has simply eliminated the hurdles people have to go through to get there.
The new facility will allow the park to serve more visitors with greater efficiency, helping TPWD promote ecotourism within Central Texas. The Inks Lake State Park headquarters strives to inspire an appreciation for nature and encourage visitors to embrace their role in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s conservation mission.
