Opened in 2025, the Barbey Family Welcome Center and Flume Plaza create a new accessible and welcoming entrance to Heritage Museums & Gardens. Working in collaboration with Horsley Witten Group and GWWO Architects, RDLA designed the arrival landscape to integrate accessible circulation, gathering spaces, horticultural displays, rain gardens, permeable paving, and sustainable planting within Heritage’s distinctive garden setting.

A spacious entry courtyard provides seating, group gathering areas, and space for Heritage-propagated plant sales before transitioning to the new Flume Plaza, where overlooks provide dramatic views of the iconic Flume Fountain. A fully accessible pathway connects the plaza with the main promenade and J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery through a richly planted landscape. Permeable paving, rain gardens, and resilient plantings manage stormwater while reinforcing Heritage’s horticultural and environmental mission, creating an arrival experience that is both functional and deeply connected to the surrounding gardens.