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Yellowstone National Park will get an infusion of Portland design, after the park’s foundation this week announced winners of two design competitions.

Otak won for its landscape architecture designs of restoration work and improvements on deteriorating north and south rim trails and overlooks from Inspiration Point to Artist Point.

Hennebery Eddy Architects won for its design of redevelopment and new construction at the park’s Youth Campus.

Five firms submitted entries for the trails and overlooks competition, and four submitted entries for the Youth Campus competition.

All of the design entries were underwritten by the competitors, Yellowstone Park Foundation spokeswoman Melinda Gable said.

鈥淭hey all did it pro bono, and it was tough to pick a winner,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he designs are all great, and all the firms spent a lot of time and money.鈥�

Otak’s design calls for rehabilitating historic elements, rerouting trails away from dangerous areas with stone and boulder barriers, creating new walkways and other improvements using natural materials and adding informational signage, according to a statement from the foundation.

Chad Weiser, an Otak principal, said he has worked with the National Parks Service on multiple types of projects over the past 15 years. For the Yellowstone design, he is leading the team that includes project manager Keith Bates and project designer Cliff Lind. All are landscape architects at Otak, Weiser said.

鈥淲e are very excited to be working on and involved in rehabilitating seven overlooks and the interconnecting trails of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s a very large canyon carved out by the Yellowstone River, so these overlooks are perched along the rim of the canyon to give views of two beautiful waterfalls.鈥�

The design team had to consider erosion factors and public safety, Weiser said, because the overlooks are on the edge of steep drops.

鈥淲e’re also very sensitive to being in a national park and creating a design that fits into the context and preserves views throughout the canyon,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are trying to be subtle in use of materials and choices so the overlook you see across the canyon blends in.鈥�

Hennebery Eddy Architects won its competition for the Youth Campus based on the design for the redevelopment of a youth meeting hall 鈥� a 1978 building at Mammoth Hot Springs. However, the plans have expanded considerably, firm principal Tim Eddy said.

鈥淭his is a big deal with stiff competition and we are very excited to be participating in the project,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’ve been working on it for a number of months and are nearing the completion of the schematic design which, at this point, is a 48,300-square-foot facility including five buildings.鈥�

In addition to the youth hall, the design includes plans for three dormitories and a commons building with a dining hall, classrooms and a commercial kitchen to meet the needs of the busy campus, Eddy said. The Youth Campus is 鈥渆ssentially a residential and environmental learning facility,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t supports the Youth Conservation Corps in the summer and for the balance of the year supports a program called Expedition Yellowstone that serves elementary school kids,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey stay at the facility a few days and take trips into the park. It’s a very busy place.鈥�

In keeping with the theme of environmental learning, Living Building Challenge certification 鈥� via the International Living Future Institute 鈥� will be pursued for the Youth Campus structures, Eddy said.

鈥淲e’re also pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) for the project, but rather than just reducing consumption, the buildings need to be restorative,鈥� he said. 鈥淚nstead of net zero it will need to be net positive energy.鈥�

Eddy said his team also is addressing wastewater treatment and other environmental issues.

The team includes Catena Consulting Engineers, Walker Macy, Interface Engineering, Brightworks, Rider Levett Bucknall, and the Bozeman, Montana, office of Stahly Engineering & Associates.

Construction of the canyon project will begin next year, Gable said, at Inspiration Point. The expanded Youth Campus design will go through more review and permitting processes before work begins.

鈥淭here’s also weather conditions because the winter weather here is very severe and would have an effect on either project,鈥� Gable said.

Construction will be managed and contracted by the Federal Highway Administration, with oversight by Yellowstone National Park, she said.