Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell ArchitectsCutting down forests is the last thing most people think of when they hear about “going green.”
But at the University of Arkansas, a wooden dorm building is showing that it’s possible. Called the Stadium Drive Residence Halls, the 202,027-square-foot building is the first large-scale mass timber building of its kind in the U.S.
Timber, it turns out, is an eco-friendly alternative to steel and cement. It’s causing waves in the design and construction worlds, and some architects think there could be a timber revolution of the same sort that happened with steel and concrete at the turn of the 20th century.
The dorm is a dream for college students and sustainability enthusiasts alike. Here’s why buildings like Stadium Drive might be the future of design:
Using wood as a building material is about as low-impact as it gets.
Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Modus Studio, Mackey Mitchell Architects
Unlike cement, planting a tree doesn’t require burning any fossil fuels. Wood also continues to store carbon after its been cut down and the tree planted in its place does too, effectively doubling the amount of CO2 a piece of land stores overall.