Text view of South Carolina’s Innovative Wood Buildings
South Carolina Welcome Center - Fort Mill (35.0800772, -80.9434434)
Photo Credit: Paul Warchol Photography
Progress: Completed
Owner: South Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Architect: Liollio Architecture
Engineer: ADC Engineering
Contractor: J.M. Cope Construction
Wood Provider: Structural Wood Systems
Description: The new South Carolina Welcome Center is a replacement of an existing structure on I-77 entering the state from Charlotte NC. Conceptualized as the front porch of the state and infused with references to local culture, the design invites visitors to sit and stay a while with porch swings, comfortable seating and a bright airy lobby that is warm and filled with light. The design team incorporated building products indigenous to the state. The visual pattern of exterior brick is inspired by local Catawba pottery, known for beautiful colors and patterns derived directly from local soils. A flexible, adaptable lobby with mobile furnishings and integrated technology-based interfaces supports the customer service design piloted by South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism for its new Welcome Centers.
South Carolina Welcome Center - Hardeeville (32.2664519, -81.0864132)
Photo Credit: Richard Leo Johnson, Atlantic Archives
Progress: Completed
Owner: South Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Architect: Liollio Architecture
Description: All of the wood used was Southern Yellow Pine.
Clemson University Samuel J. Cadden Chapel (34.6753521, -82.8361994)
Progress: Under Construction
Clemson University Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center (34.6827643, -82.8595769)
Progress: Completed
Owner: Clemson Student Affairs
Architect: Cooper Carry
Engineer: Britt, Peters and Associates
Contractor: Sherman Construction
Wood Provider: International Beams
Description:
Partners of the Clemson Wood Utilization + Design Institute (Sherman Construction, Smartlam, Britt Peters & Associates, others) collaborated to construct Clemson University's first-ever hybrid timber and steel building made with Southern yellow pine, cross-laminated timber (CLT). This CLT was first developed and tested at Clemson in 2013. Smartlam (formerly IB X-LAM) provided the panels from their Dothan, AL plant – the first CLT plant in the southeast. CLT and glulam are utilized in the building’s floors and ceilings, and to construct an all-wood elevator shaft. This is the first building of its kind east of the Mississippi River.
The Continuum (33.875582, -79.7556973)
Progress: Completed
Owner: The Continuum
Architect: McMillan Pazdan Smith
Engineer: Britt, Peters and Associates
Contractor: Thompson Turner
Description:
Adaptive reuse of an existing Walmart to create a 46,000+ SF innovation and technical education center. The Continuum will be a regional center for education and workforce development, focused on advancing the knowledge and mastery of innovative and technical skills. It will offer an array of educational options, including courses that lead to two-year and four-year university degrees, dual enrollment courses for high school students, workforce development certificate programs, programs for K-12 students in science and innovation, and even business incubator space.
Structural design included retrofitting the existing structure for code compliance for large wind and seismic lateral loads, new MEP loads as well as a new central clerestory utilizing exposed mass timber solutions. The mass timber elements include Nail Laminated Timber roof deck and a support system of glulam columns and beams. The wood elements also utilized custom exposed steel connections.
Fort Jackson Candlewood Suites (34.0184023, -80.9280915)
Progress: Opened Oct. 2020
Owner: Rest Easy LLC
Architect: LK Architecture
Engineer: SCA Consulting Engineers
Contractor: Lendlease (US) Public Partnerships
Wood Provider: Nordic Structures. Description:
A large public-private hotel development including two new five story buildings on Ft. Jackson. Project will include 328 guestrooms with kitchenettes for longer term accommodations. CLT is utilized throughout the building for floors, roof and walls (exterior, corridors, demising, shafts). Learn more: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/hotel-made-clt-opens-fort-jackson-sc
South Carolina Welcome Center - Dillon (34.4659478, -79.350472)
Progress: In Development (Winter 2019)
Owner: South Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism
Architect: Jeff Lewis, AIA, NCARB, LEED GA
Contractor: SNB Construction of Dillon, LLC
Pleasant Ridge Camp and Retreat Center (35.0846536, -82.4795208)
Progress: Completed
Owner: Greenville County Parks, Recreation, & Tourism
Architect: DP3 Architects
Engineer: Michael M. Simpson and Associates
Contractor: SYS Construction
Description: A winner of the WoodWorks 'Wood Behind the Walls' wood design award, the Pleasant Ridge Camp and Retreat Center is home to Camp Spearhead, a residential summer camp for individuals with special needs of all ages, as well as other weekend and weeklong camps for those affected with specific illnesses. It is also utilized for events, retreats, workshops, and team-building activities. The PRCRC is comprised of various buildings of similar design and construction, which include a lodge, activity pavilion and two cabin pods. Because the buildings are similar, the project team was able to utilize similar spans and details, bringing the buildings "into the dry" fairly quickly and shortening construction. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) were used throughout, while the cabins include tongue-and-groove flooring, and the roof structure features glulam trusses. Wood was also used for all interior standing and running trim, wainscots, exposed simulated decking, ceilings and porches (WoodWorks.org).
Home2 Suites Mount Pleasant/Charleston (32.8303729, -79.8354955)
Progress: Completed
Owner: OTO Development, part of The Johnson Group
Architect: Overcash Demmitt Architects
Structural Engineer: WGPM Inc.
Contractor: Hendrick Construction Inc.
Wood Provider: Sauter Timber
Description: The Homes2 Suites in Mount Pleasant, SC was the first commercial building to use Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) behind the walls.
Canoe Club - Palmetto Bluff (32.2023859, -80.886484)
Photo Credit: Hart Howerton
Progress: Completed
Architect: Hart Howerton
Engineer: Saussy Engineering
Description: Winner of WoodWorks' 'Interior Beauty of Wood' wood design award and an icon for recreational boaters in the area, the 10,440-square-foot Canoe Club was designed to convey the feel of a marine environment through features such as the wood shiplap siding and IPE trim. The main dining space was designed to represent the inside of a hand-crafted canoe, while other details throughout the building were designed to look like the inside of a traditional boat. The building features Douglas-fir trim, panelling, moulding and casework, red mahogany flooring and stairs, pine siding and trim, and a wood acoustical ceiling system (WoodWorks.org).
College of Charleston Admissions Office at Craig Hall (32.7830094, -79.9366575)
Photo Credit: Jay White
Progress: Completed
Owner: College of Charleston
Architect: Watson Tate Savory Liollio
Engineer: 4SE, Inc.
Description: Winner of WoodWorks' 'Jury's Choice' wood design award and occupying 18,000 square feet on the ground floor of a multi-use building, the Admissions Office at Craig Hall creates a point of arrival for prospective students. For aesthetics, wood was used on floors, wall panels and ceiling panels. Used selectively against a white palette, wood becomes the focus of the space. In the entry gallery, sound is dampened through use of certified cherry veneer acoustical panels. In the admissions theater, acoustical panels of the same species wrap from ceiling to wall and join strand-laminated flooring in an unbroken folded plane. The project is LEED Gold certified for commercial interiors, and the extensive use of certified wood—including cherry, teak, ash and cypress—was crucial to that effort. The building required extensive structural modifications, and using wood helped save months of time in a tight construction schedule. Wood finishes could be successfully shop fabricated while other work was conducted (WoodWorks.org).
Lynches River Discovery Center (34.034405, -79.788635)
Photo Credit: I. Wilson Baker Photography
Progress: Completed
Architect: Drakeford Architects
Engineer: Sam M. Hunter, Jr. Consulting Engineer
Description: Winner of WoodWorks' 'Wood Behind the Walls' wood design award, the Lynches River Discovery Center was designed to demonstrate a commitment to the environment and to emphasize sustainable design through both the construction process as well as the facility itself. Wood products and wood technology aptly suited that goal and allowed for the project to be built delicately, but with strength, flexibility and beauty. The final product is a LEED Bronze facility. The wood post-raised foundation had minimal impact on the environment and its favorable performance during occasional flooding periods is critical. It also reduced construction time. Wood roof trusses were built off-site and required simple installation technology. Exterior wood finishes included recycled cypress board-and-batten siding and fascia trim. Interior wood finishes included recycled cypress for baseboard, door and window trim. Wood exposed in the interior included structural beams, roof rafters, pre-engineered trusses and roof sheathing. Wood doors, plywood cabinetry and recycled heart pine flooring round out the remaining interior finishes (WoodWorks.org).
Pleasant Ridge Camp and Retreat Center (35.0846536, -82.4795208)
Photo Credit: Joseph Ciarlante
Progress: Completed
Architect: DP3 Architects, LTD
Engineer: Michael M. Simpson and Associates, Inc.
Description: Winner of WoodWorks' 'Wood Behind the Walls' wood design award, the Pleasant Ridge Camp and Retreat Center is comprised of various buildings of similar design and construction, which include a lodge, activity pavilion and two cabin pods. Because the buildings are similar, the project team was able to utilize similar spans and details, bringing the buildings "into the dry" fairly quickly and shortening construction. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) were used throughout, while the cabins include tongue-and-groove flooring, and the roof structure features glulam trusses. Wood was also used for all interior standing and running trim, wainscots, exposed simulated decking, ceilings and porches (WoodWorks.org).
The Pepper Plantation Pavilion (32.8977723, -79.7413697)
Photo Credit: SGA Architecture
Progress: Completed
Architect: SGA Architecture, LLC
Engineer: Hunter Structural/Timber-Fab
Description: Winner of WoodWorks' 'Commercial Wood Design' award and setting the tone for a 50-acre residential equestrian community, Pepper Plantation’s Pavilion reflects the character of the site’s original 20th century plantation and traditional low-country style. The use of natural wood throughout lends itself to the equestrian theme. The interior wall and exterior cladding features dressed and rough-sawn cypress board-and-batten. The large exposed roof of the interior hall is formed from solid heavy timber trusses of Douglas-fir, assembled on site with hammers and pegs. The roof decking is of salvaged heart pine and job-built barn-like wooden sliding doors have exposed wrought iron hardware (WoodWorks.org).
YMCA Camp Thunderbird Duke Energy Pavilion (35.1099784, -81.0483493)
Photo Credit: Stanley Capps
Progress: Completed
Engineer: Bulla Smith Design Engineering, PA
Description: Winner of WordWorks' 'Wood Design Engineering' award, the YMCA Camp Thunderbird’s iconic 10,800-square-foot pavilion serves as a large shelter to house camp activities during inclement weather. The required 70-foot clear span of the structure was accomplished with concrete buttresses at each end approximating a three-hinged arch. This configuration allowed for high interior clearance while maintaining low perimeter eave heights giving the building an approachable scale for the users. The structure was further expressed by lifting the roof deck above the primary "arch" member with small glulam members and purlins that extend beyond the supports and visually reduce the eave height while providing an attractive feature. The trapezoidal concrete buttresses restrain the thrust of the "arches" and carry the lateral loads (WoodWorks.org).
Charles Towne Landing Founders Hall (32.8104265, -79.9950402)
Photo Credit: Jay White, AIA, LEED AP/Liollio
Progress: Completed
Architect: Liollio Architecture
Engineer: Chao & Associates Inc.
Contractor: PW Construction, Inc.
Description:
Winner of WoodWorks' Commercial Wood Design award, this 11,000-square-foot community center was designed to be transparent, allowing its surrounding landscape to dominate visually. The LEED Gold facility’s community hall features perforated wood acoustic wall and ceiling panels to control sound and lend warmth to its large space, while wood paneling, doors, and trim finished in a contrasting species with finer grain and warmer tones adorn the facility’s executive room. Wood is also used as a finishing element in the interior corridors, with exterior siding continuing into the building. The contrast between the rough texture of the cypress and the silk finish of cherry paneling animates the interior spaces (WoodWorks.org).
Greenville Passive Home (34.8526176, -82.3940104)
Photo Credit: Konrad Lentschig
Progress: Completed
Owner: Konrad Lentschig
Architect: Architecture Konrad Lentschig LLC
Description: "The goal of passive design is to reduce or eliminate dependence on auxiliary heating and cooling systems. Buildings instead capitalize on environmental features to create a comfortable climate inside. Windows are strategically oriented to capture or reduce sunlight depending on the time of year, for example, and high-quality insulation, skylights and shading are used. Lentschig said while a typical home uses a stud-type framing structure, he's using 8-inch thick pieces of cross-laminated timber that he said help regulate temperatures inside the home." Read more: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/money/business/2018/10/11/what-passive-home-greenville-resident-making-his-model/1489655002/
James Island Town Hall (32.7261047, -79.948401)
Photo Credit: Liollio Architecture, Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives Inc.
Progress: Completed
Owner: Town of James Island
Architect: Liollio Architecture
Contractor: Charles Blanchard Construction Corporation
Description: This Sea Island is known for its laid-back pace and Lowcountry climate. The material palette for the new town hall was inspired by the surrounding vernacular buildings with gable roofs, horizontal wood siding, shutters and porches. The Mayor and Town Council envisioned the new complex as being the living room for the Town. The Council Chambers is the most public space in the project, primarily used for Council Meetings and other community events such as scout meetings or movie nights. This room features glulam wood trusses, structural pine decking, a custom dais built from locally sourced reclaimed cypress, and it opens onto the screen porch an extension of the living room. Highlighting feature components of the Town Hall with wood brought together a sense of place, a connection to the environment, and an acknowledgement of the southern vernacular that is so embodied by the laid-back low-country style.
University of South Carolina Beaufort - Hilton Head Island Campus (32.1523048, -80.7628755)
Photo Credit: Liollio Architecture, Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives Inc.
Progress: Completed
Owner: University of South Carolina - Beaufort
Architect: Liollio Architecture and Bialosky
Contractor: Fraser Construction Company LLC
Description:This 40,000 SF facility is a new resource for Hospitality and Culinary education in Hilton Head Island¹s thriving hospitality industry. The exterior material palette works within a natural and neutral island character requirement but pushes the boundaries to emphasize a progression toward a new island aesthetic for civic buildings. A clear coated channeled ship lap siding provides a flush finish veneer that brings warmth to contrast the color palette; the ribbed fiber cement rain screen panels were used in lieu of the traditional lap siding; the board formed concrete continues the wood texture through the base, and the savannah grey brick references the soil conditions of the region. The interior provides an opportunity for more contemporary finishes indicative of the hospitality industry. A predominantly white and grey palette using the university colors of navy, sand and garnet, but with bright pops of color used as wayfinding for small group study carrels. The structural southern yellow pine decking continues through the atrium to create a warm balance providing continuity with the large front and rear porticos. Acoustical plaster, wood slat walls with felt backing and perforated gypsum ceiling panels provide acoustical treatments in the commons.
Louis Waring, Jr. Senior Center (32.8071866, -80.0383065)
Photo Credit: Liollio Architecture, Richard Leo Johnson of Atlantic Archives Inc.
Progress: Completed
Owner: City of Charleston in association with Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Architect: Liollio Architecture
Contractor: Howell & Howell Contractors Inc.
Description:Nestled in the woods of a busy suburban medical campus, this senior center explores an architectural language of visual connectivity through a restrained/sensible structure grounded in nature. Composed of horizontal and vertical cedar siding, pine overhangs and smooth concrete, the exterior material palette extends into its interior, providing visual wayfinding cues and reinforcing the facility¹s main central hub. Contrast between rough texture of the exterior cedar siding and silken finish of pine and cherry animate interior spaces. Sweeping panoramic views through large interior windows and clerestories frame the exterior while providing an abundance of natural light into its volume.
Hilton Head Beach House (32.1779701, -80.722363)
Photo credit: 29E6 Hilton Head, SC (2009)
Architect: Matt Taylor
Innovative modern coastal home with CLT wood decking system.
Modern 10,000 sq. ft., coastal home. At the time of construction, the first residential project on the east coast utilizing new product material, CLT; considered to be one of the first CLT projects in the US. To achieve a modern look, numerous aspects of the building created interesting design challenges. Learn more about the Hilton Head Beach House at https://29e6.co/portfolios/hilton-head-beach-house/
Ten Oaks Middle School (33.7572383, -78.9019696)
Photo credit: sfl+a architects Size of facility: 170,784 sf
Student capacity: 1200
Energy positive, sustainability features: Thermally active building system (TABS), centralized geothermal HVAC, solar PV, LED lighting, enhanced building automation, world class indoor air quality, superior building envelope, monitoring-based commissioning and advanced building analytics post construction. Learn more at https://www.sfla.biz/portfolio-item/ten-oaks-middle-school/
Wofford College - Environmental Sciences Building (34.9597326, -81.9404194)
Photo Credit: Sherman Construction
Progress: Under Construction
Owner: Wofford College
Architect: McMillan Pazdan Smith
Engineer: Britt, Peters & Associates
Contractor: Robins & Morton
Description: A 20,000 SF facility hosting classrooms and offices for the Environmental Sciences department. "Sherman Construction provided the Cross Laminated Timber installation of Southern Yellow Pine for the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies at Wofford College.
This building will consist of advanced laboratory space, a seminar room, classroom, office space and an outdoor patio with garden spaces. The Chandler Center for Environmental Studies will be Green Globes Certified for its sustainable and environmentally conscious features, such as a partial green roof and solar roof panels." https://shermanconstruction.com/portfolio/chandler-center-for-environmental-studies/
Hughes Development Center (34.0061294, -81.0301796)
Photo: provided by BULLSTREET DISTRICT
Location: Bull St. Columbia, SC
Progress: “Under Construction" (slated to open April 2022)
Description:
The 75,000 sq. ft. office building is being constructed using mass timber and will be the largest of its kind in South Carolina. Learn more: https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article250206445.html
