Natrona Collective Health Trust: A Study in Pragmatic Site Refinement
For the Natrona Collective Health Trust, the site design was an exercise in restraint and intentionality. While early concepts explored more aspirational, complex interventions, the final execution embraced a philosophy of refined pragmatism. Our goal was to deliver a site that felt as honest and durable as the organization it serves - solving functional issues while matching the building’s historic character that was reborn in the remodel.
This project began as so many of our partnerships with Stateline No. 7 Architects do - with a design charrette with the owner. We've done enough of these together that we have developed a process that allows us to get to know the client and quickly learn about their mission, their vision, and their hopes for what a project with our team will bring. In this case we helped them identify where in Casper best aligned with their work, set vision goals around what their project should include for staff, and ultimately what direction the style and character of the building should go. As you can see from the pictures - the building they found is right downtown, connecting them to their clients, and was an adaptive reuse that represents the growth they are symbolic of in the community!
The building is amazing - go over to Stateline's website to check it out.
The site transformation began by reclaiming the building’s street presence. We decommissioned an existing front driveway, replacing vehicular asphalt with gardens that buffer the structure from the urban edge and provide a softer, more welcoming transition for the public realm. To balance this with the Trust’s operational needs, we integrated a drop-off lane in back articulated with clean-lined bollards, ensuring accessibility without compromising the site’s newfound pedestrian character.
Every detail was designed to "weather" the Wyoming environment with grace. This is most evident in the trash enclosure, crafted from rugged weathering steel to provide a durable, maintenance-free utility that complements the building’s industrial palette.
As the project evolved, so did the site. When an adjacent lot was acquired mid-construction, we pivoted to seamlessly integrate the additional land into the simplified parking arrangement. By doing "as little as possible" through high-impact, functional moves, we created a site that feels inevitable—a quiet, hardworking landscape that lets the historic architecture lead while providing a sophisticated, highly functional home for the Trust.