Utility Poles and Prairie Grass

摘要

Occupying a transitional moment between restored tall-grass prairie and a grid of power poles, an office and training facility for utility workers near Des Moines synthesizes the centuries-old story of its Midwestern land: the sod huts of early settlers, the agrarian grid imposed on a rambling open plain, even modern sprawl. Drawing from historical building patterns and the Jeffersonian axes, Des Moines-based RDG delineates a truly prairie-style experiment in sustainable design. As seen in traditional farmsteads, the north and west facades serve as windbreak to buffer winter gusts; the southern exposure welcomes the sun. Modified by topographic determinants like water runoff for a new septic wetlands, this east-west axis organizes the facility in plan and elevation. The result is a massing of two simple sheds set on a slight rise. At about 11 feet, their eave height will peek just slightly over the stalks of native big bluestem grass planted on the site to restore the natural prairie.