MASS-TIMBER MAKERS' KUBE

The Makers' KUbe structure will house the Univeristy of Kansas (KU) School of Architecture & Design. The innovative project will utilise both modern and traditional architectural principles, resulting in a building created with the principles studies within its very walls.

The 50,000-square-foot educational building will have a diagrid structure made completely from wood, a feat achieved through the use of notched glued laminated timber (glulam) and dowels based on traditional Japanese joinery techniques to eliminate the need for steel fasteners or plates.

"Our design for the consolidated design studios at KU seeks to deploy all aspects of the profession in three distinct interventions: preservation, adaptation and new construction," said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels.

"The Makers' KUbe is conceived as a showcase in timber tectonics, traditional joinery, robotic manufacturing and sustainable materials."

It will have chamfered edges on all of the corners, creating entrance canopies on the ground floor and terraces up top. The facade will be completely clad in glass, with some of the panels open to the inside, and the others revealing the building's insulation like 'shadowboxes'.

Inside, the building will feature exposed wood beams and panels, with a staircase that circles around the core. Around the staircase, at three points along its ascent, will be double-height spaces.

According to the studio, the core size was minimised by using a self-supporting, fire-resistant egress to expand the floor plates, with the diagonal mass timber columns that make up the diagrid structure will aid in the load-bearing.

The building will have six storeys and be placed in a plaza surrounded by pre-existing structures, with bridges on its second level connecting it on two sides to the adjacent Chalmers and Marvin Halls. The design includes photovoltaic panels on the roof and incorporates a rainwater-gathering system. 

Images courtesy of BIG