Trinity River Audubon Center was part of a larger effort to restore the Great Trinity Forest, the largest urban forest in the United States, and the southern reach of the Trinity River as it flows through south Dallas. This long-neglected area once housed the Dallas Gun Club, where gunfire was used to intimidate the predominantly African American community of South Dallas. The site later became an illegal dumping ground. The broader restoration project remediated the forest, improved flood control for the surrounding community, and created a network of hike-and-bike trails that run parallel to the birdwatching trails associated with the Audubon Center.
The Audubon Center was conceived as the public face of this larger initiative: a gateway to the Trinity River and a trailhead serving both the recreational trail system and the birdwatching network.
Positioned between natural and a newly constructed wetlands the building houses the headquarters of the Dallas Audubon Society, a lecture hall, environmental education exhibits, classrooms, a cafe, and Audubon store. The Center welcomes visitors from across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, including school groups and members of the South Dallas community.
Abstractly shaped like a bird taking flight, the Center is organized around a reception knuckle at its midpoint. Audubon offices are housed within a green board-formed concrete block volume. The lecture hall is defined by a long “bird feather” -embossed concrete wall and an acoustic “bird feather ceiling that extends through the lobby. A wood-lined, weathering steel clad exhibit wing is extended by a concrete wall to house an outdoor creek, allowing children and students to observe sea turtles, frogs, and salamanders. Finally a wood-clad classroom wing is lifted on pilot above the constructed wetland, enhancing the student’s views. All large glass surfaces in the building are canted to help avoid bird strikes.
