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

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.

  • Florida Gulf Coast University Selects Builder for New Academic Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla., recently announced that it has selected development and construction firm Skanska to build a new academic and health sciences building, according to a news release. Marieb Hall South will become the campus’ largest academic building at 158,040 square feet.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Concordia College Completes Memorial Auditorium Renovations

    Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., recently completed a $2.5-million renovation project to Memorial Auditorium, a news release reports. The college partnered with Kraus-Anderson for the project’s construction and ICON Architectural Group for its design.