1. This building is a new space for architecture students in the University of Kansas. Students in architecture school spend most of their time in studios and design lab, so I think the design of architecture department should be humanized and sustainable, because it is very important for student’s work efficiency and not only their physical but also psychological health. The site is located at a Naismith Road which could very busy during basketball game seasons, it could be very good if people passing by could see what architecture students do in their labs and studios. So there are big curtain walls toward Naismith Road, and those curtain walls could let natural light come into the building.
2. It is a mass timber building, the main materials in this building are mass timber and glasses. CLT and Glulam panels have been used in floors and wall framing. Pine, beech and oaks are materials of finishing floors, interior and exterior cladding.
3. Eastern white pine should be painted for flooring or wall finishing. Paint epoxy, spar varnish, and polyurethane varnish on wood are good choices for exterior cladding.