The University of Arkansas’s new 202,027-sf, 708-bed residence hall, dubbed the Stadium Drive Residence Halls, is set to become the first large-scale mass timber residence hall and living learning setting in the country.
The project is currently under construction on a linear four-acre site that slopes from north to south. Within this relatively small, densely planted buffer zone the project is shaped by the concept of “a cabin in the woods” that provides a new university gateway. A serpentine band of student rooms defines three protected and distinctive courtyard spaces.
Rendering courtesy Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studios, Mackey Mitchell
The north building includes a “front porch” that is the main entry point of the complex and a “cabin” at the passage’s midpoint that is the main gathering space. The “cabin” includes a community kitchen, lounges, a quiet hearth, and a rooftop terrace. The lower courtyard includes workshops that comprise performance spaces, music and recording studios, and maker spaces.
Student rooms are arranged in wings that comprise semi-suites for two students and pods for six to eight students. Study rooms at the end of each wing are naturally lit via large windows and create a series of “lanterns” along Stadium Drive. The buildings’ inner cores feature two-story lounges with residential kitchens designed for community interaction between the upper and lower floors.
Wood is on full display throughout the project with exposed structural wood ceilings present in student rooms, study rooms, floor lounges, and ground-level common spaces. The “cabin” also includes wood ceilings and trusses that span the full width of the lounges.
Rendering courtesy Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studios, Mackey Mitchell
The exterior of the project highlights metal. Zinc-toned siding with accent panels of textured copper-toned and white siding creates a floating band of living space above the natural landscape. A ground-level passage winds through the landscape and connects the various courtyards.
The project, which is the result of a design collaborative led by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and OLIN is scheduled for completion in fall 2019.
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Oct 15, 2015
Montreal apartment is world’s largest residential cross-laminated timber project
Its 434 condo, townhouse, and rental units in three eight-story buildings are made from sustainably harvested wood turned into panels by Canadian company Nordic Wood Structures together with the Cree Nation in Chibougamau.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 7, 2015
BIG designs lush, terraced mixed-use building in Sweden
Cascading glass and wooden cubes create a form similar to Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway rock formation.
Sponsored | Wood | Sep 17, 2015
Compelling conversations about wood: coastal environments
Architect Greg Mella and APA’s Karyn Beebe have a frank and far-reaching discussion about the tangibles and intangibles of using wood in corrosive environments—and beyond.
Sponsored | Multifamily Housing | Aug 25, 2015
Engineered wood helps meet booming demand for multifamily projects
Multifamily housing starts reached 358,000 in 2014, a 16 percent increase over 2013 and the highest total since 2007
Codes and Standards | Jun 18, 2015
Guides to wood construction in high wind areas updated
The guides establish prescriptive, wind-resistive structural requirements for wood-frame buildings of different sizes and shapes.
Sponsored | Airports | Jun 5, 2015
Exposed glulam framework offers quiet complement to Jackson Hole airport’s mountain backdrop
A three-phase expansion and renovation, which began in 2009, nearly doubled the size of the aviation hub; the only one located in a national park
Wood | Jun 2, 2015
Michael Green Architecture designs world's tallest wood building for Paris competition
“Just as Gustave Eiffel shattered our conception of what was possible a century and a half ago, this project can push the envelope of wood innovation with France in the forefront," said architect Michael Green of the project.
Wood | May 21, 2015
How CLT wood construction affects project cost
SRG Partnership's Emily Dawson shares insights on the installation, availablilty, and cost of cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction, based on the firm's recent project at the Oregon Zoo.
Wood | Apr 26, 2015
Building wood towers: How high is up for timber structures?
The recent push for larger and taller wood structures may seem like an architectural fad. But Building Teams around the world are starting to use more large-scale structural wood systems.
Museums | Apr 10, 2015
Henning Larsen Architects designs timber museum extension in Sweden
The new extension will complement Österund’s wooded surroundings