Randy Brown Architects | River Probes

in Architecture by editor — 7:54 pm | July 10, 20120 comments

Nebraska gets its name from the archaic Otoe words Ñí Brásge, pronounced [ˌɲĩˈbɾaskɛ] meaning “flat water”, describing the rivers that flow through the state. The rivers of Nebraska may be the states greatest natural resource. The rivers and streams provide a variety of fish and offers habitate for the ducks, pheasant, water fowl and Nebraska’s fur animals: deer, buffalo, elk, etc. The major cities in Nebraska are located along the rivers and pump river water into the water treatment plants to create the city water.

Pollution from factories, urban encroachment, agricultural practices and beef feedlots is affecting the water quality of Nebraska’s rivers. The University’s Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory is preparing to construct environmental research/educational facilities along Nebraska’s seven major rivers.

The challenge was to provide both living, eating, sleeping and scientific areas within a very small 70SF footprint. The River Probes will be a working and living building to allow scientists to live on the rivers in a controlled environment to conduct long term ecological monitoring of the surface quality of the water. The probes will also serve as public observation platforms both to view the rivers natural beauty and to learn about the toxicology and pollution issues facing the rivers today. The holding tanks and experiments will be on display inside the probes with computer touch screens to educate the visitors about the experiments.

The River Probes will provide continuous streaming of data back to the University Laboratory. In addition to raw data from the rivers, videos of experiments conducted at the Probes will be made available on a Nebraska Watershed Network website.

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