You’ve watched it before. Whether it was a T.V. show, movie, or a scene in a play, you’ve seen an architect depicted. In almost every one of these scenarios the architect in question is portrayed drawing sketches or large maps of homes. And yes, this depiction is true to an extent, but sketching only covers a small amount of the work accomplished at firms, such as NBW Architects.
However, in reality most of the work at NBW Architects takes place either behind a desk or at a work site. The creative minds that fuel the plans behind some of the most prominent buildings in Idaho Falls often go unnoticed, but the buildings around us remain a testament to their knowledge and hard work.
Over its 60-year history, co-owned by Scott L. Nielson, Kevin R. Bodily and James H. Wyatt, the firm has participated in a wide range of projects including schools, offices, churches, and much more. Driving around Idaho Falls, you would probably recognize many of their more recent projects, such as Melaleuca Field, Black Canyon Middle School, Bank of Commerce and Dad’s Travel Center. They have also completed projects in Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
The co-owners have also participated in a number of small projects that hold special importance to surrounding communities, such as the kitchen remodel of the Shelly Senior Center. Projects such as this one aren’t big and glamorous, but they solve a problem.
“You probably wouldn’t think that a new building is a problem,” explains Bodily, “but people typically build a new building because they have a need for something and to be able to help satisfy that need and to help them move their business along is satisfying in itself.“
The work that NBW Architects does not only solves problems, but enhances the lives of those that will eventually use the buildings they live. For example, when building schools major thought is given into what lighting will provide for an optimal learning environment. When building one elementary school, they also went so far as to plan how students could move calmly throughout the hallways -- installing carpet in the shape of a river that students could follow.
Awareness of trends allows the firm to always provide the best solution for their client. This mostly involves remaining constantly aware of technological advances. Kevin Bodily summarized it best when he stated, “Materials, technology, everything is constantly changing. The trend is change.”
Another portion of the work of any architect is forming solid relationships with the wide variety of people necessary to complete a project, from construction managers to engineers. These relationships aren’t just part of the project; they often last for many years past its completion.
When Wyatt first started working with the firm, he remarked to NBW founder Max Call that it would be so cool to see all of these buildings he’d been a part of assembling around town. He then followed up his remark by asking which building was Call’s favorite. Call replied, “James, it’s not really about the buildings. It’s about the relationships I enjoy.” Though Wyatt was just a young architect at the beginning of his career, Call’s response stuck with him.
“Those buildings come and go, but the relationships stay,” Wyatt added. “I thought that was interesting and it took me a while to piece together and know what it meant.”
The team often pulls in experts specific to the project they’re working on, so that they can ensure they’re covering all of their bases. With Melaleuca Fields, the firm worked with consultants to walk them through the process of creating a minor league baseball stadium.
One of the firm’s favorite analogies is comparing themselves to conductors of an orchestra as it is their job to make sure every piece of the project is running smoothly and that everything is accounted for. In other words, they spend the majority of their time conducting-- pointing everyone in Idaho Falls toward innovation and growth.
So, next time you go into work, the library, grocery shopping or anywhere else in the community, take a moment to appreciate the building you’re in and remember that every detail was carried out with your future use of it in mind.
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