Phoenix-based architecture firm Jones Studio will design the Water Education Center for Central Arizona Project (CAP)—a 336-mile aqueduct system that delivers Colorado River water to almost 6 million people, more than 80% of the state’s population.
The Center will allow the public to explore CAP’s history, operations, and impact on Arizona. With safe, up-close views of the canal, the space aims to enable a larger audience to understand CAP and how it fits into Arizona’s history. The Water Education Center also will host gatherings such as large water-stakeholder meetings, elected official briefings, and school field trips.
The Colorado River Basin is experiencing the effects of a decades-long drought and climate change, and Arizona has been experiencing a Colorado River shortage since 2021. Located at CAP’s headquarters, the new 8,000-sf, net-zero water facility emphasizes climate resilience and features onsite stormwater harvesting and passive rainwater harvesting from the building. The architecture and landscape will be used as pedagogical tools to illustrate innovative water conservation and reuse strategies.
“With this new Water Education Center, we endeavor to create an extremely energy- and resource-efficient building that embodies and expresses sustainable technologies,” Brian Farling, principal of Jones Studio, said in a statement.
Design ideas include a weathered steel cylinder embedded in the earth that acts as a sculptural catch basin for stormwater. In the entry plaza, a diagram of the Colorado River watershed, highlighting the CAP canals and prominent rivers, will educate visitors about the water system’s footprint.
Flexible multipurpose spaces and educational exhibit spaces will open to an outdoor gathering space that bridges the canal. A 27,000-sf canopy will protect visitors from the desert sun and collect rainwater for reuse. Traditional passive design strategies, such as thermal mass and self-shading, will be supplemented by a 6,000-sf photovoltaic array.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Central Arizona Project (CAP)
Design architect and architect of record: Jones Studio
Mechanical and plumbing engineer: Associated Mechanical Engineers
Electrical engineer: Woodward Engineering
Structural engineer: Rudow + Berry
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V02-09.01.2023-edited.jpg)
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V04-07.01.2023.jpg)
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V05-07.01.2023.jpg)
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V06-07.01.2023.jpg)
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V07-07.01.2023.jpg)
![Arizona’s Water Education Center will teach visitors about water conservation and reuse strategies](/sites/default/files/inline-images/CAP%20Visitor_s%20Center-V08-07.01.2023.jpg)
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCL Construction, HITT Contracting among nation's largest commercial building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Commercial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Webcor, Hunt Construction lead the way in mixed-use construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 30 Mixed-Use Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Clark Group, Hensel Phelps among nation's largest federal government contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 40 Federal Government Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Report: Fraud levels fall for construction industry, but companies still losing $6.4 million on average
The global construction, engineering and infrastructure industry saw a significant decline in fraud activity with companies losing an average of $6.4 million over the last three years, according to the latest edition of the Kroll Annual Global Fraud Report, released today at the Association of Corporate Counsel’s 2009 Annual Meeting in Boston. This new figure represents less than half of last year’s amount of $14.2 million.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, HDR top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest institutional building design firms
A ranking of the Top 100 Institutional Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Walt Disney Family Museum planned in San Francisco
Construction is under way on a new museum dedicated to the man behind the Disney empire. Set to open this fall in San Francisco, the Walt Disney Family Museum will feature 10 galleries, starting with Disney's beginnings on a Missouri farm.
| Aug 11, 2010
Draft NIST report on Cowboys practice facility collapse released for public comment
A fabric-covered, steel frame practice facility owned by the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys collapsed under wind loads significantly less than those required under applicable design standards, according to a report released today for public comment by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).