Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Building With Wood

  • 03/01/18

Designing and building with wood provides a solution to some of the common challenges that come with education building projects—from tight timelines and limited budgets to stringent safety requirements and high standards for sustainability. Schools are placing a premium on organic materials, sustainability, and brighter, more flexible, open-layout interiors—all areas where wood construction thrives.

At the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, wood saved $15 per square foot on one student housing project, Spartan Village Phase I, compared to a metal and concrete alternative. Designed by Lord, Aeck Sargent, the 385,000-square-foot building provides 800 new student beds while creating a new neighborhood that sets the tone for future mixed-use developments.

Wood also offers several advantages where student housing is being added to existing neighborhoods. Multi-story wood structures meet residential code requirements and adhere to required safety and structural performance guidelines for urban infill buildings. Plus, infill real estate often carries a premium price, so the economic advantage gained by building multiple stories of wood over a podium-type structure may be the only way a project can work financially.

At the same time, educational institutions are increasingly using mixed-use projects to add vital businesses to surrounding neighborhoods. At the University of Washington, Mahlum Architects made the most of the urban Seattle location for a five-building project known as West Campus Student Housing – Phase 1, designing each building with five stories of wood-frame construction over a two-story concrete podium. Constructed for $177 per square foot, the award-winning development includes ground-floor amenities such as a grocery store, conference center, and fitness center.

Think Wood is an initiative of the Softwood Lumber Board that provides guidance to ensure safe, predictable, and economical use of softwood lumber in multi-family and non-residential building applications. To learn more, visit ThinkWood.com.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management March 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • blurry image capturing students navigating crowded hallways between classes

    How Human Behavior Data Is Reshaping Campus Facilities Management

    The ebb and flow of students, faculty, and administrators across a campus have a larger impact on maintenance, cleaning, and sustainability than many realize.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.