OSU Forest Science Complex

The new Forest Science Complex at Oregon State University (OSU) is designed to fulfill the university’s aim to provide word-class innovative facilities for its students. Replacing the existing Peavy Hall structure, the new 114,000 square foot complex will be home to OSU’s College of Forestry and will house classrooms, administration facilities, faculty offices, and dry laboratory spaces. The project also includes a separate building for the university’s new Advanced Wood Products Manufacturing and Design Center.

As the Building Enclosure Consultant, we are assisting the architect with the design and development of construction documents for the complex’s two main structures. The facility’s enclosure design incorporates a large amount of wood to demonstrate the effective and sustainable use of timber as a structural assembly. The new Peavy Hall structure will utilize a combination of heavy timber glulam beams and columns with cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The Advanced Wood Products Center will feature the same integration of heavy timber glulam and CLT structure with an emphasis on a particularly strong floor to support the heavy wood structural work and testing.

The main entry hall, as the focal point of the facility, will be glazed with wood-framed curtain wall assemblies, and the punched openings will use a similar wood-framed curtain wall. This approach is intended to demonstrate the modern application of a timber frame enclosure that the university desired. To design and integrate the CLT and heavy wood frame systems, our team enlisted the expertise of staff across our offices.

The enclosure’s integration of glass and wood presented some unique design challenges for our team to overcome. Construction with wood structural components in the wet Pacific Northwest climate is difficult, so field review is an indispensable part of our role to ensure the enclosure will perform as expected. Our team has overseen the installation of waterproofing, roofing, air barriers, and water-resistive barriers, including the detailing and connection of the glazing system, to ensure that the wood structure will be protected and the application will conform to the project design intent.

The new OSU Forest Science Complex, scheduled for completion in 2019, will allow OSU to increase the number of students who can enroll in the College of Forestry programs. The new facility will also showcase the importance of Oregon’s forest products industry.