For this studio project, students had to individually determine a program and its scope. Each student proposed a facility for a specific “rewilding” goal. These projects must “rewild” Texas, and bring about a change or a recovery of native landscape.
The proposed facility, the Dallas John Bunker Sands Texas Prairie Reconstruction Institute, is a research laboratory and agricultural acreage focused on the regrowth and rewilding of native Texas plains. Only 2% of the original Texas plains remain, the rest have been converted to agriculture and urban sprawl over generations of usage. This institute’s goal is to repair this damage and to reproduce native Texas landscapes through the research, proliferation, education, and display of Texas grasses, wildflowers, and flora.
The facility is divided into three separate buildings, with the primary central building providing public access, visitor centers, auditoriums, and gallery spaces, while the upper research facility offers offices and laboratories for researchers. Both buildings frame a flattened mesa or plaza between them, providing a space for exploration and appreciation of the native landscape through public walkways, parks, and fields. The third building is a future expansion directed towards the John Bunker Sands wetlands.
Chosen materiality for this facility both references the site, and directly comes from it.
The use of rammed earth walls in this project ground the buildings to the site, while an internal glulam rib structure meanders throughout the design to create a continuous internal form. The organic shape created by these frames is inspired by the site’s sea of grasses, which sway gently in the wind. The glulam frames, mimicking this movement, reflect light in different conditions, highlighting the form of the building and creating an ever-changing visual through the movement of the sun or the chance passing of a cloud.
These sheets not only frame views to the exterior, but also block direct sunlight from entering the project’s laboratories and gallery spaces, providing a balance of natural light and protection for the interior spaces.
These sheets not only frame views to the exterior, but also block direct sunlight from entering the project’s laboratories and gallery spaces, providing a balance of natural light and protection for the interior spaces.
The site adjacent to Highway-175 is designed to be transformed into a lush landscape of grasslands and wildflowers, providing a beautiful visual for commuters passing by. The soft textured movement of the grass, swayed by the blowing winds, and moments of wildflower color throughout, create an ever-changing display of native Texas flora. The design features two buildings with large flat walls facing the roadway, acting as a canvas to showcase the beauty of this adjacent landscape. The buildings frame the landscape, providing a sense of place and connection to the natural surroundings.
Different lighting conditions show this organic glulam form through select moments in the facades.