Jester Park Nature Center

The Jester Park Nature Center, a 17,792 square foot facility, serves as a welcome station, interpretative center, promoter of public health and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, and administrative headquarters for the Polk County Conservation Board located at Jester Park.

Site design work related to grading, utilities, roadways, parking areas and pedestrian plazas were completed by RDG’s Civil and Water Resource Engineering team. This includes a new park entrance and entry drive at this site that extend from NW 128th Street to the Nature Center site. Stormwater management features include bioretention cells and stormwater wetland features. The design was coordinated closely with other RDG disciplines, including Landscape Architecture, Architecture and Lighting Design.

Working with an advisory committee composed of staff and members from the surrounding community, a feasibility plan was developed to identify the compatibility of a 14,000+ square foot facility on the site based on environmental considerations and opportunity for interpretation and site context. The sketches, site plan and floor plans illustrate a concept developed with the advisory committee and vetted by staff, creating a building that blends in with the surrounding prairie and performs at a highly sustainable level.