Clemson University's 16,000-sf Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center has become the first mass timber structure on the campus and the second mass timber facility in the nation to use Southern yellow pine as the primary building material. The project is located at the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex.
Designed to enhance the opportunities of Clemson students to achieve mental and physical wellness through interaction with nature, the Center comprises two multi-use classroom studios capable of supporting activities such as yoga, rowing, wellness seminars, nutrition, expedition planning, and other events. The facility also includes a resource for trip planning, equipment rentals, a bike repair/rental shop, a boathouse, a covered patio, a lounge, and a second-level deck overlooking Lake Hartwell.
The boathouse, which provides storage for rental kayaks, paddleboards, and rafts, is enclosed in passively ventilated skin of local cypress. The cypress skin helps to enhance the visual appeal and sustainability of the building.
The building is positioned to be net-zero ready and has the potential to be operated off-grid with the installation of photovoltaics. Sustainable elements include expansive windows that offer natural daylight, sensor-controlled lighting, and large-scale fans that help reduce cooling loads. Passive cooling is used for boat storage spaces.
See Also: Erudite eSports: Colleges build their very own eSports arenas
The Center supports student engagement with nature by anchoring a master planned precinct on campus, which includes 14,000 sf of synthetic turf fields for intramural and club sports, woodlands for hikes, beaches, and lake access for water activities. Additionally, the building's covered terrace and second-level roof deck overlook the lake and provide opportunities for people to access the exterior environment.
Related Stories
Projects | Mar 16, 2022
Tomorrow’s STEM leaders get a state-of-the-art research complex
In February, North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University (NC A&T) opened its new Engineering Research & Innovation Complex (ERIC).
University Buildings | Mar 7, 2022
A new facility can offer thousands of equine therapy sessions a year
At its new Spur campus in Denver, Colorado State University (CSU) will bring its expertise to the public by offering free educational experiences to visitors of all ages. Spur’s three buildings—Hydro, Terra, and Vida—will focus, respectively, on water, earth, and life.
University Buildings | Mar 4, 2022
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee celebrates new chemistry building with groundbreaking
The building will serve as a gateway for all STEM and health science related majors, housing the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Higher Education | Mar 1, 2022
SRG Partnership designs a nautically inspired space for maritime science
A community college in Oregon has begun construction on a new building devoted to maritime science. With it, the school hopes to solidify its position as a major industrial and marine technology center in the Pacific Northwest.
Education Facilities | Feb 24, 2022
New ASU science and tech building features innovative sustainability elements
Arizona State University’s Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 7, completed in December 2021, was constructed with numerous innovative sustainability elements.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
UPenn converts a library past its prime to a tech-integrated learning and maker
In September 2021, Penn reopened its renovated and expanded library as an open center for cross-disciplinary learning, prototyping, and collaboration. Now called Biotech Commons, the 17,000-sf building supports new modes of research by offering a range of spaces and services that is free to be scheduled by any student or faculty member.
University Buildings | Feb 17, 2022
A vacated school in St. Louis is turned into a center where suppliers exchange ideas
In 1871, The Carondelet School, designed by Frederick William Raeder, opened to educate more than 400 children of laborers and manufacturers in St. Louis. The building is getting a second lease on life, as it has undergone a $2 million renovation by goBRANDgo!, a marketing firm for the manufacturing and industrial sectors.
University Buildings | Feb 15, 2022
Ohio University's Chilled Water Plant #3 brings high design to a campus utility
Leers Weinzapfel Associates has also designed chiller plants on the campuses of Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Harvard University’s Allston Campus, and the Ohio State University.
University Buildings | Feb 14, 2022
Leers Weinzapfel Associates to renovate, expand the Williams College Davis Center
The project will add almost 8,000 sf of space.
