Research Campus

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Spring Studio Situate ‘22

The Research Campus is a research facility and visitor’s center located in Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. The facility will be used to house five long-term researchers as they study the resiliency of the Nebraska Sandhills, a unique region of mixedgrass prairie on grass-stabilized dunes. The Sandhills serve an important roll in filtering water that eventually seeps down to the Ogallala Aquifer, the largest freshwater aquifer in the world. In addition to a research facility, the Campus will also act as a visitor’s center for travelers entering the refuge.

The long, flat cantileved roofs contradict the hilly topography and provide shade to the outdoor pathways. The entire project is slightly elevated off of the ground in order to minimize the project’s footprint on the site. Other sustainability features include solar power, native vegetation-covered roofs, and a timber roof structure made from site-removed invasive Ponderosa pine.