Architectural Record

From geo-exchange systems to mass timber, university campuses are leading the way in sustainable and instructive building design. https://lnkd.in/gbp_7E8B

The free event includes a panel discussion with three former Vanguards—SHoP’s Gregg Pasquarelli, studioSUMO’s Sunil Bald, and Miriam Peterson of PRO—and a cocktail reception. https://lnkd.in/gFsAsziF

RECORD kicks off the school year with a selection of academic projects that unify campuses, showcase timber construction, and encourage interdisciplinary study. https://lnkd.in/gNAcd5Wc

As you approach the Mississippi River in western Tennessee, rough terrain breaks into low-lying agrarian valleys that mark much of the waterway’s basin. Although agriculture remains a mainstay of the region’s economy, poor farming practices coupled with nutrient-intensive crops, like cotton and tobacco, have degraded its soil quality and ecological diversity. Lone Oaks Farm, a summer camp and STEM-focused educational center for K-12 students and teachers in the small town of Middleton, responds to those conditions with restorative landscaping and an assemblage of durable yet elegant cabins and education buildings.⁠ ⁠ Designed by Kansas City, Missouri–based architecture firm El Dorado (@eldoradoinc) and operated by the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), the STEM Center was completed in 2023 and Sunset Cabins, the first cluster of overnight lodgings, welcomed campers this year. The compound, which also functions as a working farm and hosts 4-H camps, encompass some 1,200 acres pieced together by local conservationists Kathy and Scott Ledbetter in 1998. In 2015, UTIA identified the property as a suitable site for a new summer camp to replace one nearby that shuttered in 2009. Two years later, in 2017, the university purchased the property and commissioned a master plan for the site—conceived by El Dorado and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (@nelsonbyrdwoltz)—that includes a roadmap for sustainably restoring its ecosystem, in part, by reintroducing meadowlands and native plant species.⁠ ⁠ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g6m3RaUd ⁠ Words by Matthew Marani Photos © Tim Hursley

Last year, a niece of mine transferred from a state university in her hometown to a private East Coast college, one of the “Seven Sisters”—a dream deferred. Though she began this big transition with pride, excitement, and a resolve to throw herself into activities, classes, and new friendships, she quickly felt lonely and sidestepped, as ongoing relationships and rituals seemed to flow on around her. There was no coordinated effort to help her and any other transfer students establish community.⁠ Though she has found her way with grit and self-advocacy, I was envious on her behalf when I learned about architect Morris Adjmi’s (Morris Adjmi Architects) new dormitory for transfer students at the University of California, Berkeley (@ucberkeleyofficial), where they comprise a considerable part of the undergraduate population—roughly 21 percent in 2023–24. Called Anchor House, the brick-clad building encompasses a full city block. At 450,650 square feet, it has 244 apartments with around 772 beds (contributing to the 9,000 new beds that UC Berkeley has committed to creating). And, while the individual residences are the antithesis of the cement-block cells many of us can easily conjure—they range from studio units to four-bedroom apartments and have floating armoires, built-in desks that face 7-foot-by-7-foot operable windows, and shared kitchens—they aren’t the main event.⁠ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gf7yDSQE Words by Laura Raskin Photos © Jason O'Rear

Constructed primarily with mass timber, the project features extensive daylighting, spacious classrooms and common spaces, and purposeful acoustics throughout. https://lnkd.in/g5KZMUpx

The DKGR-led renovation of the three towers does away with garish interiors added over the years in favor of an approach more true to the original early-1970s design. https://lnkd.in/gvVTxU2h

The DKGR-led renovation of the three towers does away with garish interiors added over the years in favor of an approach more true to the original early-1970s design. https://lnkd.in/gvVTxU2h

Located in the heart of the Connecticut town, the 42,700-square-foot building foregrounds community, not quiet. https://lnkd.in/gWWFXRRD

This special section showcases carbon-saving efforts on college and university campuses across the country. https://lnkd.in/gGqY8NJZ