Architects design an all-timber college building

Designed by a Dublin-based firm, the building will double as a teaching tool for architecture students

Spotted: The Irish firm, Grafton Architects, has designed a light-filled, all-timber college research building, aiming to highlight the versatility of wood.

Created in collaboration with Modus Studio, the Anthony Timberlands Centre for Design and Materials Innovation building will be part of the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. It will be used to train architecture students in the use of wood, as it will be a new home for its graduate program in timber and wood design. It will also host the school’s expanding design-build program and fabrication technology laboratories.

“We want people to experience the versatility of timber, both as the structural ‘bones’ and the enclosing ‘skin’ of this new building,” Grafton’s Yvonne Farrell said. “The building itself is a teaching tool, displaying the strength, colour, grain, texture and beauty of the various timbers used.”

Grafton wants it to be a “Story Book of Timber.” Wood finishes will be shown off and structural support beams left uncovered to show timber’s aesthetic and strength as a building material. The building will be filled with natural light due to the generous amount of glazing, with greenery also integrated. It is due to begin construction in mid-2020.

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