ABSTRACT
The Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design at the University of Arkansas has commissioned a new facility, the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, a center for research and development focused on timber and wood. The innovative nature of the project demanded an equally inventive selection process that yielded an extraordinary number of submittals, including many of the world's leading practices. Six architecture firms were selected as finalists for a design competition which ultimately led to the selection of the Pritzker Prize winning firm Grafton Architects of Dublin, Ireland. This paper details the procurement process and the entries from the six finalists to illustrate 1) the variety of “applied research” design approaches evidenced in the six entries, in structure, envelope, systems, detail and construction methods; and 2) the criteria for “design excellence in timber and wood” that led to assessment and final selection.
