For the Glen Rio Rest Area, the State was interested in a Welcome Center building that said something about the rich Spanish Colonial building traditions of New Mexico. In this case, we designed a facility with a modern version of a Hacienda’s courtyard with surrounding portales and called for a great interior space, inspired by the sacred tradition of Spanish Colonial Iglesias. The building courtyard faces due south for excellent passive solar heating during winter and for cool shade under the portales in summer. The landscaping design incorporates native plantings from the Eastern half of New Mexico.