Adohi Hall, a $79-million, 202,027-sf residence hall at the University of Arkansas, has recently become the largest mass timber building in the United States. Named for the Cherokee word for “woods,” the 708-bed facility is located on a four-acre site at the southern end of the campus and will provide a new university gateway that marks the start of the larger living learning district.
The project includes wood columns and exposed structural wood ceilings in student rooms, study rooms, floor lounges, and ground floor common spaces. The building’s exterior features a light metal jacket of zinc-toned panels with accents of textured copper-tone and white to create a floating band of living space above the natural landscape. A cascading series of outdoor spaces provides students and visitors with opportunities to gather and engage and pathways weave through existing strands of oak trees that provide shade to students in the warmer months.
Four stories of residential floors are arranged above the ground-floor communal spaces. Connected by a ground-level passage, a serpentine band of student rooms define three distinctive courtyard spaces that create a dynamic environment for student collaboration and interactive learning in architecture, design, and the arts. The “front porch” in the northernmost building is the key entry point for the complex and the “cabin” at the ground-level, central passage’s midpoint is the main gathering space. The cabin comprises a community kitchen, lounges, a hearth, and a rooftop terrace. The “workshops” of the lower courtyard house include performance spaces, music and recording studios, and maker spaces.
The residential floors each have their own double-height lounges and kitchen spaces, semi-suites for two students with private baths, and pods of six to eight double rooms with a shared bath and common room. Study rooms with large windows are at the end of each wing and create a series of “lanterns” when viewed from the exterior along Stadium Drive.
See Also: A new Atlanta-area STEM magnet school will feature a flexible modular design
Adohi Hall is meant to honor Cherokee tribe members who passed near the hall’s site while following the Trail of Tears and recognizes the importance of wood and sustainable forestry to the region.
Related Stories
Wood | Mar 5, 2019
Sweden’s tallest timber building is open for business
C.F. Møller Architects designed the building.
Wood | Feb 14, 2019
Gensler designs Texas’ first full mass timber building
The 8,500-sf structure will be located in Fredericksburg.
Wood | Oct 19, 2018
Design revealed for mass-timber residential tower in Milwaukee
The developer is confident that the city will approve construction, which is scheduled to start next year.
Wood | Oct 10, 2018
A recent seminar in New York City talks up the use of mass timber for taller buildings
The products’ future, though, could hinge on approval of proposed code changes.
Wood | Aug 24, 2018
The largest dowel laminated timber project in North America begins construction in Des Moines
The building will feature a unique “shou sugi ban” charred wood exterior.
Wood | Jul 23, 2018
Mass timber high-rise project on hold in Portland, Ore.
Inflation, escalating construction costs, and fluctuations in tax credit market are to blame for the Framework project being put on hold.
Wood | Jul 2, 2018
Mass timber comes of age: Code consideration, evolving supply chain promise new options for tall wood buildings
Judging by the outcome of a recent International Code Council Action Hearing, it’s likely that we will be seeing more and taller mass timber buildings across the country very soon, writes Patricia Layton, PhD, Professor of Forestry, Clemson University.
Codes and Standards | Jun 19, 2018
Structural engineered wood products exempt from new EPA formaldehyde ruling
Exempt products include structural plywood, oriented strand board (OSB).
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: T3 mass timber office buildings
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), architect and mass timber design expert Steve Cavanaugh tells the story behind the nation’s newest—and largest—mass timber building: T3 in Minneapolis.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 23, 2018
Mass timber design for multifamily housing
The adaptability of urban development could be revolutionized through the inherent strength of mass timber construction.