Birds of Prey Facility Upgrade + Expansion |
Hatch Design Architecture
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The World Center for Birds of Prey developed facility upgrades and expansions of their current facilities located in Ada County. The entirety of the World Center for Birds of Prey is 580 acres overlooking Boise and Kuna that provides exhibits related to the preservation and education of birds of prey. The improvements occurred on 6.5 acres surrounding the existing visitors center and bird exhibits. The expansion included improvements to the existing visitors center, parking lot, and a number of exhibits for hawks and peregrine falcons. The facility requested an outdoor flight arena for exhibitions, pedestrian circulation, signage, exhibit outlooks, general landscape, and irrigation improvements.
Landscape and irrigation challenges for the site included integration of native plant materials throughout the site to better utilize the limited irrigation water available. This required coordination with facility managers and staff to determine the most suitable plant materials that would impact wildlife the least. A naturalized landscape effect was used throughout the exhibit area to mimic natural wildlife habitat of the Treasure Valley. Likewise, a variety of landscape elements were included to provide a more engaging site, including dry-land seeding for slope stabilization, boulders and crushed sandstone in planter beds, and decomposed granite pathways. Future phasing of the project includes the design and installation of an owl forest that will utilize similar design concepts to the rest of the site for continuity.
Landscape and irrigation challenges for the site included integration of native plant materials throughout the site to better utilize the limited irrigation water available. This required coordination with facility managers and staff to determine the most suitable plant materials that would impact wildlife the least. A naturalized landscape effect was used throughout the exhibit area to mimic natural wildlife habitat of the Treasure Valley. Likewise, a variety of landscape elements were included to provide a more engaging site, including dry-land seeding for slope stabilization, boulders and crushed sandstone in planter beds, and decomposed granite pathways. Future phasing of the project includes the design and installation of an owl forest that will utilize similar design concepts to the rest of the site for continuity.
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