The Coeur D'Alene Natural Resource Center is a studio project created in collaboration with the Coeur D'Alene Tribe of Northern Idaho. The Tribe, formerly known as Schitsu’umsh, meaning “Those who were found here” - relies heavily on its natural resources department to maintain its tribal lands, protect its waters, and restore wildlife to the land. The Tribe needed a new building design for its ever-growing department. After carefully gaining their insight, we collaborating with the Tribe to develope a program that would suit their needs. This building, which my partner Chloe Macon and I called "Of Earth", puts an emphasis on incorporating nature into its design in a way that honors the Tribe's history and culture. This was done by including indigenous plants wherever possible, including ample natural spaces for use, and by using the natural rolling Palouse landscape to partially bury the building into the earth. This created a wonderful earth building that is environmentally conscious and serves all the needs of the Tribe. The site of the building was picked by tribal members on their own land as they plan to eventually make this building a reality, incorporating our designs into the final product.
