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Wight designed and constructed Knoch Knolls Nature Center, a 5,300-sf building located directly along the DuPage River. As a means of showcasing the exquisite context of the site, the Nature Center was designed as “a celebration of water.” LEED Platinum certified by the USGBC, the Nature Center teaches about the surrounding ecosystem with numerous sustainable elements, including a 1,500-gallon rainwater cistern in the main lobby.

The facility also houses two preschool classrooms for the Naperville Park District, which are attached to the core lobby and exhibit space.

“Between water-conserving fixtures and the use of captured rainwater, the building saves 56% of the water it would have used without incorporating these strategies."

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Awards:

2015 Merit in Architecture, Distinguished Building over $3M, AIA Illinois

2015 Merit Award Finalist, Construction Under $15M, Chicago Building Congress

2015 Best Projects Award, Small Projects, ENR Midwest

2015 Outstanding Facility & Parks Award, Illinois Parks & Recreation Association

2015 Excellence in Engineering, ASHRAE Illinois

Naperville Park District, Knoch Knolls Nature Center

A celebration of nature & water for a sustainable future

“Between water-conserving fixtures and the use of captured rainwater, the building saves 56% of the water it would have used without incorporating these strategies."