JEWEL OF COEUR D' ALENE.

My design partner and I were tasked with creating a schematic design package for a 20,000 sf museum in northern Idaho to be used as marketing material with the goal of fundraising for its eventual design and construction.

​

Brought on board by members of the museum's board, the primary goal was a replacement museum that evoked the energy and beauty of the community. Currently located in a run-down, lifeless building, the site was anything but. Situated on the banks of Lake Coeur d' Alene, the proposed site offered opportunities for outdoor programming, expansive views, and a larger presence within the downtown community. Looking to the logging and gem mining history of the area, the design pulls directly from each with literal materiality choices like a wood shade screen and more subtle crystalline geometry.

The program is divided into 3 distinct blocks, nestled within the larger skin. A dual height lobby and learning center make up the front, a 2 story gallery the center, and a lecture hall and library the back. Varying access points allow visitors to enter and interact with the building based on the activity and keep disruption of the other programs to  a minimum. 

​

The site program includes a large adjacent plaza, grand exterior stair to access the second floor event / viewing patio, and an expansive, underground tunnel that allows an existing bike trail to remain in place. 

The client was thrilled with the final design but, unfortunately, the local government decided to go a different direction, utilizing an existing structure in town as the new location for the museum. 

​

DESIGN CONCEPTS | THEMES:  Circulation patterns, wooden skin, gemstone geometry, modernization, public outreach

Project Data