Trinity River

Designed by New Mexico-based architectural firm Antoine Predock Architect PC, the Trinity River Audubon Center is connected to one of the largest inner-city forests in the United States in Great Trinity Forest, an urban park in Dallas, Texas. Built on the site of a former illegal landfill, the building serves as a nature center. The building’s design connects the interior space to the natural surroundings of the park.

Certified LEED Gold, Trinity River is the first LEED-certified building constructed by the Parks and Recreation Department of Dallas. It includes a vegetated roof, rainwater collection systems, recycled construction materials, and energy-efficient systems.

Completed in 2008, the project uses a precursor to Solanum Steel, a surface Zahner designed for long-lasting, durable exterior steel surfaces. Zahner produced and installed the preweathered steel wall panels used on the exterior facade.

Zahner is a longtime fabricator and collaborator of Predock Architecture, having provided engineered facades for the Museum of Science and Industry in Florida, the Hoag Rawling Museum in Colorado, the Tacoma Museum of Art in Washington, and the El Paso Federal Courthouse in Texas.