Benjamin Ames

  • Dream Designs: Leisure Facility: Rdg Planning & Design

    Donald & Ruth Furman Aquatic Center

    Located on remnant pastureland at the edge of the Squaw Creek floodplain and surrounded by a century-old pine grove, one of the first challenges in building the Donald & Ruth Furman Aquatic Center was its location

    18 MIN READ
    In developing the Donald

and Ruth Furman Aquatic Center, designers paid special attention

to maintaining the ecological characteristics of the sight.

Ultimately, only one mature tree was removed in construction, and

all of the plant material outside of the deck areas is native to

Story County, Iowa. Much of the project site has been seeded with a

native mix of grasses and wildflowers to maintain the

location’s biodiversity, aid in storm-water infiltration and

create a wildlife habitat — all while minimizing the amount

of fossil fuels required to maintain the area (compared to the

typical turf grass condition found within municipal

pools).