Sited on a 585-acre education and recreation campus, the Nature Center’s exhibits tell the story of a unique dune and swale landscape. Once buried beneath a glacier, the region is now marked by parallel lines of sand dunes left by the retreating glacier. This landscape is home to oak savanna and sand prairies, as well as wetlands nestled in between the dunes.

Space Haus’s design captures this rolling landscape through the layout of the space and the dioramas that house turtles, snakes, frogs and fish. Another central component of the exhibits is the cultural history of the region, which was once inhabited by Native Americans and was later a thoroughfare for the Underground Railroad.

The "Living Landscape" narrative refers to the region’s changing seasons and the migrating birds that come and go throughout the year. Flexible exhibits are designed to reflect these changes so that guests see new things at each visit.

Space Haus wrote the exhibit content in collaboration with Forest Preserve staff. We also developed a modern graphic style that works with the Forest Preserves brand standards.