Iowa Wildlife Center

The new Iowa Wildlife Center is a proposed 29,887 square-foot, state-of-the-art rescue and rehabilitation facility designed as a refuge for healing, education, and ecological reconnection. Optimizing operational efficiency, the ground-up facility consolidates primary wildlife care and public functions onto a single main floor, supported by a functional basement level.

The Center’s design directly supports its three-part mission: rehabilitating native wildlife, educating the public, and training the next generation of wildlife assistance professionals. By prioritizing calm, low-stress environments for recovering animals and intuitive, high-efficiency circulation for veterinary and care staff, the architectural layout balances advanced clinical operations with public engagement. Visually and structurally, the facility invites community awareness and shared conservation responsibility, while carefully isolating sensitive, wild species from human disruption.