桃花直播 students propose innovative designs for metro area forestry and wildlife outreach center
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥 Eighteen architecture students in 桃花直播 State University鈥檚 College of Architecture, Art and Design recently presented master plan and building proposals for a forestry and wildlife outreach center in 桃花直播鈥檚 largest urban natural area.
The student projects were part of 桃花直播 Assistant Professor Jacob A. 鈥淛ake鈥 Gines鈥檚 fall-semester introduction to mass timber studio course supported by the 桃花直播 Forestry Foundation, the fundraising arm of the 桃花直播 Forestry Association.
The 桃花直播 Forestry Foundation has long provided financial support to 桃花直播 on behalf of the 桃花直播 Forestry Association. In 2016, the MFF created the TIMB(R) Fund, to assist the School of Architecture in educating students on the value and benefits of building with wood through the design of a proposed state-of-the-art wood structure for public outreach and education. TIMB(R) is an acronym that stands for Timber Innovations for 桃花直播 Buildings Reimagined.
In 2017, the MFF committed $50,000 for continued work with the university鈥檚 colleges of Architecture, Art and Design, and Forest Resources. $37,500 of the MFF鈥檚 TIMB(R) Fund gift is benefiting the School of Architecture鈥檚 fourth-year studio course planned for five separate semesters. A total of $12,500 of the MFF gift supports the Department of Sustainable Bioproducts鈥 Advancement Fund, assisting with travel, research, conference participation and hosting, and other activities furthering work in the areas of cross-laminated timber and mass timber-related technology.
As part of Gines鈥 fall-semester mass timber studio course, nine student teams each designed a state-of-the-art forestry and wildlife outreach center located on the Fannye Cook Natural Area, a 2,700-acre site along the Pearl River in Flowood that is named for the late 桃花直播 pioneer conservationist and scientist and owned by nonprofit Wildlife 桃花直播. Wildlife 桃花直播 plans to develop approximately 25 miles of trails for recreation and exercise, create wildlife and forest interpretive areas and viewing platforms/towers, construct educational venues such as a pavilion and amphitheater and provide direct access to the Pearl River. In addition to the forestry center, structures planned at the entry of the area include a visitor center, comfort station and pad site for future development.
In their project proposals, students were required to use mass timber building technologies as the primary structural system. Water management, energy and forestry conservation, and promotion of physical wellness in terms of outdoor activity also were top design priorities.
During a recent event in Giles Hall, each student team gave a presentation that left MFA and Wildlife 桃花直播 representatives with the challenging task of selecting three winning proposals. The building proposals also will be submitted to the Innovation 2030 student design competition sponsored by Santa Fe, New Mexico-based nonprofit Architecture 2030.
MFA Executive Vice President J. Tedrick Ratcliff Jr. presented first and second places with a monetary prize and copy of Kenneth Frampton鈥檚 book 鈥淟abour, Work and Architecture.鈥
Ratcliff also thanked the entire class of students for working together on a project that will help promote 鈥渕ass timber as a viable option for construction in 桃花直播鈥 and 鈥渢he value of forests and forestry products to our state.鈥
Seniors Barnes Brown of Franklin, Tennessee, and Patrick T. Greene of Southaven made up the first place team. Each received a copy of Bryan Nash Gill鈥檚 book 鈥淲oodcut鈥 in addition to the aforementioned prizes.
鈥淲e wanted to showcase forestry in 桃花直播 through the landscaping you see as you go throughout the building,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淭he raised atrium space we proposed would provide visitors with a nice moment where they could see the construction of cross-laminated timber. As they walk in, our hope would be for them to say 鈥榃ow, this building is all wood.鈥欌
Greene said features in his and Brown鈥檚 proposed 14,300-square-foot building design include a catering kitchen, classroom, social space, executive and accounting offices, multipurpose room, conference center and boardroom. The center itself would be built using materials harvested on-site and 桃花直播-sourced softwoods, Brown added.
鈥淥ur overall and driving concept of this site is to establish a respectful relationship between the intervention of man and the untouched wilderness,鈥 Greene said. 鈥淭he method that we propose is a datum, or concrete/gravel walkway established perpendicular to the existing road, which determines the orientation of each building adjacent to it. The datum ties the tranquil essence of the lake with the natural canopy provided by the trees.鈥
Gines praised the students for 鈥渞aising the bar and putting in a tremendous amount of work for this exciting project focused on mass timber as a renewable, locally-sourced construction material.鈥
鈥淭he School of Architecture is proud to be at the forefront of construction education. We want to be leaders of mass timber in 桃花直播, and I believe that starts here at 桃花直播 State University,鈥 Gines said. 鈥淲e are thankful for the support of the 桃花直播 Forestry Foundation in providing funding for this architecture studio and being advocates for the wonderful work our students have done and will continue to do.鈥
Rubin Shmulsky, head of the 桃花直播 College of Forest Resources鈥 Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, also offered words of gratitude for the students鈥 efforts.
鈥淚鈥檓 an unabashed advocate for wood and timber products, and the architectural buildings, structures and thoughts you all have developed will inspire people and create a market for our creative material of choice 鈥 wood,鈥 Shmulsky said.
Learn more about the 桃花直播 Forestry Association at ; and Wildlife 桃花直播 at .
Part of 桃花直播鈥檚 College of Architecture, Art and Design, the nationally accredited School of Architecture offers the only curriculum in the state leading to a professional degree in architecture. Learn more at , as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CAADat桃花直播.
Learn more about the College of Forest Resources and its Department of Sustainable Bioproducts at .
桃花直播 is 桃花直播鈥檚 leading university, available online at .