The Headquarters was designed through the use of collaborative workshops with the school. The goal was to form a consensus on the best solution for the project as well the most appropriate image. The building needed to respond to the neighborhood, the city, the natural environment of the Wind River Mountains and foothills, and the unique character of the people who make up the organization of NOLS. Schemes were eliminated or adapted based on how well the image conveyed a sense of frugality, humility, community, worldliness, commonsense, and responsibility to the environment.

The boxes are narrow and have tall ceilings to maximize the use of natural light. Open offices are on one side, and alcoves for individual offices and meeting areas are on the other. Sliding glass panels provide privacy and borrowed light between the two areas. Exterior and interior sun visors provide shading as well as reflecting light further into the building.

The tent-shaped central room provides a gathering place for staff and alumni visiting the building. A "fire" circle located in the middle of the courtyard provides an outdoor gathering place and is used for orientation meetings with new students.

The "leaf" canopy provides protection for the staircase and shading for the roof garden. It is an icon for the new NOLS campus.

The historic Noble Hotel, NOLS's student housing and symbolic center, is located on Main Street. The Headquarters building is located one block to the north. Future plans include developing the land between the Noble Hotel and the Headquarters for outdoor gatherings and a building to house classrooms, a fitness center, and meeting facilities.