Wofford College, Chandler Center for Environmental Studies
Awarded:
- American School & University, Louis I. Kahn Citation, 2021
- BD+C, Silver Building Team Award, 2021
- AIA SC, Design Award, New Construction, 2021
- AIA Greenville, Merit Award, New Construction, 2021
Certified: 3 Green Globes® by Green Building Initiative® (GBI)
With a desire to build upon Wofford College’s programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, McMillan Pazdan Smith was commissioned to design the new 20,000 SF Chandler Environmental Studies Center. The building hosts state-of-the-art laboratory space, a seminar room, outdoor patio, garden spaces, and classroom and office space for the school’s Department of Environmental Studies along with other Wofford science departments. The cutting-edge building is 3 Green Globes Certified and features some of the latest options in building sustainability, including systems to capture rainwater for irrigation, a partial green roof, and solar roof panels. The structural design of mass timber consists of cross-laminated (CLT) floor decks and roof panels and glue-laminated structural framing (columns and beams). Each of these components are fabricated from Southern Yellow Pine, a regional resource, and they assist with minimizing the building’s carbon footprint.
Intended to be a teaching facility, the interior systems are exposed and a “dashboard” monitor is showcased to allow people to monitor various energy consumption levels in the building. An important project goal was to design a building that would complement the modern image of the Performing Arts Center next door, also designed by MPS in 2017, and to maintain a contrasting style to the mostly traditional campus.
The groundbreaking ceremony was in the Summer of 2019 completed in 2020.
