Water Resource Experiment Station

Abstract

Students in this studio were asked to design a Water Resource Experiment Station at a site on the bank of the Missouri River west of Linton and South of Bismarck, North Dakota. The students were given presentations by studio collaborators from the Biology Department and the Department of Civil Engineering concerning the use of constructed wetlands to clean waste water from the laboratory and rain water harvesting from the building’s exterior to add fresh water to the clean waste water for the use of the laboratory. Each design is approximately 20,000 square feet in area, has public parking and public toilets accessible from the exterior and is intended to be open to the public for their use after hours and on the weekends.The inspiration for this facility is the kinesis of the butterfly. The final position as developed here is explored through the full spread of the wings. This facility borrowed from the butterfly example, manipulating the light as it enters the building. While a butterfly's scales are positioned to reflect/refract light this facility relies on its form for managing the sun's rays to protect the offices during the most extreme sun of the day and year. The facility responds to the site and incorporates its features into the building to provide a cohesive experience. The facility boasts a planted roof that borrows from flora found on site. The roof manages storm water runoff and reduces the heat island effect. Any water that is not absorbed by the soil is directed down to the first retention pond to start the cleaning process. Visitors to the facility can experience a number of key features. There is a viewing area into each of the laboratory and the apparatus room, a series of green walls that direct visitors to the presentation room, a gallery space that hosts exhibits displaying the current research of the facility, and a vista that begins the interactive site experience through visualization.