Now On Demand

Credits: 1 AIA LU/Elective; 1 AIBD P-CE
May qualify for learning hours through most Canadian architectural associations

This webinar is part of the Wood Structures Academy.

The Temple Beth Tzedek, a 10,000-square-foot new construction in Amherst, New York, provides gathering space, administrative areas, and a new 300-seat sanctuary for the congregation. Working with glue-laminated wood fabricators (glulams), the sanctuary space is framed by five large arches (bents) that span 55 feet clear, creating the generous volume for the 3,000-square-foot area. Rebecca Berry of Finegold Alexander Architects and Ryan Sieber of LA Fuess coordinated closely on scale of members, wood specie, wood finish, and the specifications of metal connectors and visible bolts at the bents. The completed project showcases the outdoor woods framed by the sanctuary arches and the texture of natural wood and light.

The Stadium Drive Residence Halls project at the University of Arkansas is the nation’s first large-scale mass timber student residence at 202,027 sf. The project aspired to realize the environmental, economic, and aesthetic benefits of mass timber construction, reducing the university’s carbon footprint and stimulating further development of the regional timber industry. To meet this challenge, Ashley Rao, AIA, LEED AP, Leers Weinzapfel Associates (Boston), applied advanced timber technologies such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panels, as well as glulam beams and columns for the buildings’ structures. The project is targeting LEED certification and is expected to be completed later this year. Working on the project alongside Leers Weinzapfel Associates, is Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and OLIN.

The presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion focused on how these distinctive wood projects address several key issues, including:

• Cost: What tradeoffs, if any, are required to achieve contemporary design excellence, particularly in terms of using energy-efficient, sustainable materials, products, and practices for the optimization of the designs? In the featured projects, what was the ultimate value in the specific design decisions?
• Aesthetics: What role did the desire for a particular aesthetic play in determining the scope and main features in the designs? What were the results of those decisions? What were the obstacles?
• Drivers:Did the clients request certain features, or did you, as the architects, propose them? If the latter, what led you to suggest using specific materials or make specific design decisions to support the end goal? How did occupant satisfaction goals inform design decisions?
• Design Constraints and opportunities:What were some of the unique constraints of the projects, and what opportunities did they create for innovative design?

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the focus of the overall design process for each project.
2. Describe the design constraints of the Temple Beth Tzedek project.
3. List two strategies used for the University of Arkansas project to reduce its carbon footprint.
4. Discuss the benefits each project achieved working with glulams.

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