Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak

Architects chose wood to build this unique community space because it met the project’s sustainability goals and helped create a place of community that inspired health and wellness.

The structure, which is primarily an open-air pavilion, houses local retail businesses, eateries, a fitness gym, performance space, and more. Constructed using glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams and columns, dowel-laminated timber (DLT) and nail-laminated timber (NLT) panels, a cross-laminated timber (CLT) statement wall, and other wood materials, the exposed wood members create a warm, welcoming interior. An elevated mass timber platform serves as the main floor of the structure, framing a large performance stage.

The structure is located on a parcel of city-owned land that will be redeveloped in the coming years, so wood members were fastened with screws and bolts, allowing the entire structure to be eventually dismantled and moved to another location. To further support their sustainability goals, the all-electric building is powered by solar, and mass timber elements were fabricated with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood. The project serves as a model on how to effectively, beautifully, and efficiently use sustainable materials and systems to serve community needs.