Revitalization of El Portal Visitors’ Center at El Yunque National Forest

Nestled within El Yunque National Forest—the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System—the Visitors’ Center has been thoughtfully transformed to honor the surrounding landscape and its history. Originally designed by Puerto Rican firm Sierra Cardona & Ferrer in the 1990s, it occupies 5.31 acres of the forest. The site and structures had already experienced significant aging before they were extensively damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The USDA Forest Service then decided to overhaul and update El Portal’s offerings. The facility was modified to give way to a newer design vision, address current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards. The interior and exterior programs were re-envisioned to accommodate community-centered uses and implement climate-ready measures throughout.

The landscape is conceived as a catena of habitats that follow the main internal circulation road from the state highway to the entry plaza and through the site. The sequence takes the visitor from native wild forest to the more human-influenced environment of naturalized vegetation close to the Visitors’ Center buildings. Endemic species appear early in the sequence and give way to naturalized species that have been part of the idea of Caribbeaness for 500 years. The entry plaza is conceived as a “forest opening” and contains a bosquet of Cecropia schreberiana, an iconic pioneer species in El Yunque’s forest openings. Forest openings, as archetypal landscapes of human encounter and storytelling, served as design inspiration for the project.

One of the toughest landscape design challenges was retrofitting the site to federal stormwater management standards, which require fully managing the 95th percentile storm within the site boundaries. This was particularly difficult at EYNF, the wettest region of Puerto Rico, which receives 152+ inches of rain per year. The standard was achieved through a variety of landscape strategies, including increased planting areas, rainwater harvesting, permeable paving, vegetated swales, rain gardens, and bioretention cells. The large landscape structures, some of which have 8-foot-deep profiles, are built of reinforced concrete, engineered soils, and a mixture of native plants tolerant of constant wet-dry cycles. After over three years in operation, the new green infrastructure system has successfully handled all storms.

The facility is not just exhibition spaces and government offices - the renovated El Portal is now a comprehensive community hub with a collaborative space for community organizations and flexible event spaces, all focused on promoting local economic growth, social equity, community engagement, and inclusivity. Inclusivity also extended to the physical planning and design of the landscape. The new design includes the first and only accessible trail in the entire El Yunque National Forest.

The Visitors’ Center now serves as an educational tool to understand the unique environment, history, and culture of the place. The new arrival plaza, universally accessible trails, local flora, green infrastructure, and water harvesting strategies seamlessly work together, allowing the project to achieve the maximum possible LEED points for site design. Visitors are now welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape reflecting Puerto Rico’s unique ecological and cultural heritage.