Boise WaterShed
Windows Into Wetlands
Meander
Map of Waters Past
Confluence
Boise WaterShed Environmental Education Center - LEED Certified Building
2007-2009 Boise, ID
Amy Westover with Modus Architecture and Derix Art Glass Consultants.
Commissioned by City of Boise Public Works Department and Boise Watershed Exhibits Inc.
The Boise WaterShed is a hands on interactive education center located at the central waste water treatment plant in Boise Idaho. Dedicated to fostering community stewardship of Boise’s regional watershed, the artwork focuses on the poetics of water in both natural and man-made systems. I was inspired by satellite infrared imagery, used to track water usage on the land, which became the basis for the passive solar window wall. I studied the regional reservoir and was struck by the undulating patterns of rock and sand outlining the reservoir banks caused by the slow, systematic release of water throughout the summer months. Those studies became the inspirations for the form-liner cast concrete wall. The use of reclaimed materials and the importance of recycling was an important message to convey in both the floor artwork as well as the sinks and drinking fountains. All four architecturally integrated artworks help inspire visitors to look at the incredible ways in which their lives interact with water and have a direct environmental impact on the watershed.