The architecture is conceived as an explicit expression of the tectonics of heavy timber construction—an opportunity for students working in and around the building to understand how it is assembled, both spatially and physically. Because of this, there is no consistent architectural “surface” in which lighting could be discreetly embedded. Instead, the lighting is expressed openly and honestly throughout the project; the fixtures are seen as integral components within a larger, technically transparent whole.

Within this whole, the lighting inhabits a kind of spatial “grain” defined by the rhythm of the timber structure. The repetition of beams and columns establishes an underlying order into which a finer, lighter grain of lighting armature is introduced—floating delicately below and between these structural elements. Wherever possible, the light is “held” between beams and columns, allowing it to seem as though it emanates naturally from the volumetric gaps created by the architecture itself.

These gaps—and the resulting volumes of light—emerge in different ways: sometimes at the intersection of a beam and ceiling plane, sometimes between a stair balustrade and metal cap, and at other times within the folds or creases generated by the transverse section of the building. At each of these moments, light indirectly washes the architectural volumes, reinforcing both the spatial composition and the expressive clarity of the construction.

Ultimately, each fixture remains physically exposed—mounted directly to a timber member that resists recess—while simultaneously highlighting and hierarchically elevating that very same element through its illumination.. Architect:This project is called a Story Book of Timber- Timber is both the structural bones and the enclosing skin.

Responding to the local climate, we propose a Canopy of Light and Air - a cascading roof with glulam rain-water gutters - covering the open-air yard, the Fabrication Shop and connecting all the layered teaching spaces of this new facility, upper critique spaces form educational and social vantage points. The new building sits on the corner of Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and Lt. Col. Leroy Pond Avenue, acting as a beacon to the city of Fayetteville.