This winter's snowstorms have inspired children of all ages to build backyard snowmen and snow forts. We wondered what professional architects would do with all that white stuff.
So we asked four leading local architectural firms –– HDR, Bahr, Vermeer & Haecker, Leo A. Daly and Min/Day –– to submit plans for, both literally and figuratively, the coolest snow forts, snow parks and snow sculpture habitats in town.
Their designs are all conceptual –– nothing has actually been built. Still, all of the projects are practical, not theoretical, meaning the firms could quickly build them for clients.
Here are links to each of the designs. Take a look to refresh your memory and vote for your favorite.
"Ice Garden" by Min/Day
This glistening, asymmetrical structure has an otherworldly appearance. In fact, comic book fans might mistake it for the Man of Steel's North Pole domicile.
The space would serve a dual purpose. It would be a social gathering place and also function as an ad hoc –– or pop-up –– restaurant.
"Drifthouse" by Leo A. Daly
Architects James Leach and Kris Nelson were driving home after a snowstorm when they noticed a beautiful natural phenomenon. Winds whipping from the north had sculpted snow on a hillside into a series of small mounds. To Nelson, those shapes seemed vaguely familiar.
The image of a habitat on a frozen desert was the inspiration for Leach and Nelson's conceptual snow fort. Their small, low-tech and environmentally friendly design is in keeping with their architectural philosophy.
"Urban Glacier" by Bahr, Vermeer & Haecker
The image of people wandering through the snow searching for lost things was the inspiration behind a conceptional snow fort design from Bahr, Vermeer & Haecker.
“We had this vision of a glacier sliding down a mountain, pushing and smothering everything in its path,” said Adams.
Eventually, real glaciers recede, leaving behind mountain valleys, gorges and bean-shaped lakes. Adams, Nelson and Saroka's imaginary glacier carved out a spectacularly sculpted snow park, complete with lost mittens and scarves frozen decoratively into blocks of ice.
"S.N.O. Grotto" by HDR
Omaha may not be the planet Hoth, but the Midlands' recent brushes with wintry weather has architect Thomas Trenolone thinking about “The Empire Strikes Back.”
“All the cold and snow reminds me of the movie's opening battle scene in front of the ice cave,” said Trenolone, an architect and designer with the Omaha firm HDR Architecture Inc.
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