The 6,300-sq-ft Knoch Knolls Nature Center—LEED Platinum certified and the only staffed nature center in a city of more than 144,000 people—was developed as a home base for nature exploration and a model of sustainability. Built in a park beside the DuPage River, it celebrates water with exhibits and architectural elements that immerse visitors in the river environment.
The center was designed with a river floor meandering through the exhibit area. A butterfly-shaped roof over the west end of the building gives artistic expression to the harvesting of rain that is collected in a 1,500-gallon cistern, located in the center of the exhibit lobby space. A 6-ft-tall aquarium that wraps half of the cistern is a “section” through the DuPage River and allows visitors to see below the surface of the water and observe fish and plants in their river habitat. They can also feel the river rocks underfoot in the main lobby area floor finish. Stones are grouted with shells and other elements shoveled from river.