The Landscape at el Portal de El Yunque
Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that reimagines its connection to nature and culture. The redesign incorporates a carefully integrated new arrival plaza, universally-accessible trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Achieving the maximum possible LEED points for site design, visitors are now welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological and cultural heritage.
The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.
El Portal at El Yunque National Forest has become a mediator and interlocutor between nature and culture through the language of design.
The center and it's surrounding landscape has become a new community hub for all kinds of activities.
Elements of the original design, including the main hall, the upper courtyard, and the water feature were modified to give way to a newer design vision, accommodate current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards.
Designing harmony between nature and resilience.
Nestled within El Yunque National Forest—the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System—the Visitor Center has been thoughtfully transformed to honor the surrounding landscape. Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that revitalizes its connection to nature. The redesign incorporates carefully integrated trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Today, visitors are welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological heritage.


The whole site of El Portal is conceptualized as a series of habitats that represent El Yunque National Forest and the cultural landscapes that surround it in Northeastern Puerto Rico.


Visitors to El Portal at El Yunque most frequently arrive at a bus and shuttle drop off location amidst a heavily reconstructed and verdant plaza space full of native rain forest ecology.

The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
"Before this project, there was no accessible trails in the entire El Yunque National Forest"
José Juan Terrasa-Soler, Partner at Marvel

The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.

Elements of the original design, including the main hall, the upper courtyard, and the water feature were modified to give way to a newer design vision, accommodate current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards.
The Landscape at el Portal de El Yunque
Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that reimagines its connection to nature and culture. The redesign incorporates a carefully integrated new arrival plaza, universally-accessible trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Achieving the maximum possible LEED points for site design, visitors are now welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological and cultural heritage.
The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.
El Portal at El Yunque National Forest has become a mediator and interlocutor between nature and culture through the language of design.
The center and it's surrounding landscape has become a new community hub for all kinds of activities.
Elements of the original design, including the main hall, the upper courtyard, and the water feature were modified to give way to a newer design vision, accommodate current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards.
Designing harmony between nature and resilience.
Nestled within El Yunque National Forest—the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System—the Visitor Center has been thoughtfully transformed to honor the surrounding landscape. Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that revitalizes its connection to nature. The redesign incorporates carefully integrated trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Today, visitors are welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological heritage.


The whole site of El Portal is conceptualized as a series of habitats that represent El Yunque National Forest and the cultural landscapes that surround it in Northeastern Puerto Rico.


Visitors to El Portal at El Yunque most frequently arrive at a bus and shuttle drop off location amidst a heavily reconstructed and verdant plaza space full of native rain forest ecology.

The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
"Before this project, there was no accessible trails in the entire El Yunque National Forest"
José Juan Terrasa-Soler, Partner at Marvel

The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.

Elements of the original design, including the main hall, the upper courtyard, and the water feature were modified to give way to a newer design vision, accommodate current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards.
The Landscape at el Portal de El Yunque
Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that reimagines its connection to nature and culture. The redesign incorporates a carefully integrated new arrival plaza, universally-accessible trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Achieving the maximum possible LEED points for site design, visitors are now welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological and cultural heritage.
The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.
El Portal at El Yunque National Forest has become a mediator and interlocutor between nature and culture through the language of design.
The center and it's surrounding landscape has become a new community hub for all kinds of activities.
Elements of the original design, including the main hall, the upper courtyard, and the water feature were modified to give way to a newer design vision, accommodate current needs, and comply with current codes and sustainability standards.
Designing harmony between nature and resilience.
Nestled within El Yunque National Forest—the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. Forest System—the Visitor Center has been thoughtfully transformed to honor the surrounding landscape. Originally designed in 1996, the Center suffered damage from Hurricanes Irma and María, prompting a renewal that revitalizes its connection to nature. The redesign incorporates carefully integrated trails, local flora, and green infrastructure, seamlessly blending solar energy and water harvesting strategies. Today, visitors are welcomed into a vibrant, sustainable landscape that reflects Puerto Rico’s unique ecological heritage.


The whole site of El Portal is conceptualized as a series of habitats that represent El Yunque National Forest and the cultural landscapes that surround it in Northeastern Puerto Rico.


Visitors to El Portal at El Yunque most frequently arrive at a bus and shuttle drop off location amidst a heavily reconstructed and verdant plaza space full of native rain forest ecology.

The sequence from the drop off to El Portal is the visual cue of a seating and meeting moment under a lightweight shade structure which then leads to an elevated pedestrian bridge and procession to the Visitors Center beyond.
The pedestrian bridge allows an appreciation of the lowland forest and the ocean beyond, stressing the vital ecological connections between the two.
"Before this project, there was no accessible trails in the entire El Yunque National Forest"
José Juan Terrasa-Soler, Partner at Marvel

The accessible trail at El Portal includes interpretive signage informing visitors about the surrounding flora, fauna, and cultural history of this landscape.
