Gap. Blue Ridge Mountains, VA. Spring 2026. Thesis. Advisor Ali Fard. A Waystation for wanderers. This thesis proposes a reconfiguration of Rockfish Gap into a place that is a pleasure to wander through. The gaps in the Blue Ridge are charged spaces of transit: infrastructure corridors bundle here before returning down into the lowland. In these functional passages lie the ingredients for a new kind of public space. Many distinct types of traffic pass through Rockfish Gap, but the space is set up so that these flows engage each other as little as possible. But even though the gap is an unpleasant place right now, people gather here anyway. King’s Popcorn food truck, the only business at the site, attracts passing bikers and cars. Driveways, hotels, and cottages have become places for people to dump their garbage. Though buildings are abandoned, the lot is busy every weekend as hobbyists meet up. The abandoned hotel still has one of the best views in the state. Being at the confluence of so many travel routes and in proximity to tourist destinations like Charlottesville and Shenandoah, a hotel is an ideal anchor program at the gap. A large forested gravel parking area with benches supports the way people already use the site: as a casual meet-up spot, a trailhead, and rest area off the highway. The Appalachian Trail (AT) tends to stay as isolated in the forest as it can be, but at gaps like these it unavoidably needs to cross large highways. Instead of just forcing the trail onto a tiny sidewalk and buffeting hikers with highway noise, as the current crossing does, the reconfigured Rockfish Gap would give trail users the good parts of connection along with the bad, inviting them to rest, engage with travelers on different modes of transit, and even spend the night at special semi-outdoor adventure lodging. Hotel restaurant and balcony overlooking the gap and adventure accommodations. The hotel’s restaurant offers views not just of the beautiful Shenandoah mountains and the valleys below, but of the workings of this strange intersection between fast-paced travel and slow-paced adventure. The hotel’s restaurant offers views not just of the beautiful Shenandoah mountains and the valleys below, but of the workings of this strange intersection between fast-paced travel and slow-paced adventure. Axonometric sketch process work. Hand sketching and modeling were critical tools for intuituvely exploring possibilities for this massive site. Physical model experimentation. Existing intersection. all paths and roads move through the gap with little acknowledgement of the space. Iteration 1: following the lip of the ridge. hotel extended along the ridge overlooking the intersection; switchbacks with parking lanes in line with the existing hotel. Iteration 2: radial paths from the intersection. straight passage down from hotel plateau with paths and roads emanating from the intersection; several new bridges. Iteration 3: interlocking lattice of paths; terracing. skewed grid of paths aligned with the extended hotel and the existing building, using the latticed intersection of these paths instead of switchbacks. Summer adventure lodging. Rockfish Gap can be a spot of rest for long-distance adventurers along the Appalachian Trail and others seeking to unplug. In addition to the normal hotel, the gap also features shaded, elevated, treehouse-like adventure accommodations. There is also a field for pitching tents. The Hollow, an ampitheater and picnic area. The existing bowl shape of the gap from previous use of the site makes for a simple conversion into an ampitheater, easily accessible from the highway as a concert venue. The entrance to the hotel and terraced gardens from the trail. Rockfish Gap is already used as an unofficial trailhead, especially as it’s the Blue Ridge Parkway’s northern terminus. But there is little infrastructure to support its use in this way. Terraced gardens can create a welcoming entryway and a platform for wayfinding.