Clemson University, Forestry and Environmental Conservation Building

Along the edge of a pristine forest at Clemson University's southern entrance, wood and glass merge in an elegant expression of sustainable architecture. Three interconnected wings house advanced research laboratories and teaching spaces, while floor-to-ceiling windows dissolve the boundary between classroom and forest. Students of forestry and conservation move between interior spaces crafted from mass timber and exterior woodland paths, experiencing the principles of sustainable resource management in both the building's structure and its natural setting.

Site and Design

The building marks a key transition point between campus and community at Cherry Road and Perimeter Road. Unlike typical academic buildings confined by dense campus surroundings, this site's expansive natural setting shaped every aspect of the design. A protected courtyard, formed by the building's three wings, faces an undeveloped woodland. Students move directly from classrooms to outdoor teaching spaces, turning the surrounding landscape into a living laboratory.

The site drops 50 feet from its western edge to Honeycutt Creek, a dramatic change in elevation that influenced the building's form. Through extensive work with forestry faculty, the design team developed a series of accessible paths that wind through various forest zones. These paths serve both as circulation routes and teaching tools, allowing students to study different ecological conditions as they move through the site.

Materials and Structure

Brick masonry along Cherry Road maintains continuity with campus architecture, while the courtyard side reveals the building's technical advances. Here, a specialized vertical corrugated metal panel system takes its pattern from Southern Yellow Pine cross-sections—a direct reference to both the mass timber structure and the region's forestry heritage. As sunlight moves across the façade, the panels cast ever-changing shadows that highlight their organic patterns.

The metal panels do more than create visual interest. Their light weight reduces demands on the mass timber structure, demonstrating how material selection can serve both technical and aesthetic goals. By limiting the use of heavy materials to specific areas, the design team maximized the efficiency of the structural system while creating distinct architectural expressions for different faces of the building.

Learning Environments

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame views of the forest from classrooms and laboratories, while a third-floor terrace offers sweeping vistas toward Tillman Hall and central campus. The north-facing terrace provides year-round outdoor gathering space, naturally shielded from direct sun in Clemson's warm climate.

Inside, movable walls between three classrooms create a 3,000-square-foot space for large gatherings. This flexible area connects directly to pre-function spaces and covered outdoor areas, supporting events that flow between indoor and outdoor environments. Project rooms distributed throughout the building adapt to changing needs—hosting small group discussions one day and serving as supplemental laboratories the next.

The laboratory wing balances research requirements with transparency. Controlled-access areas protect sensitive work while glass walls maintain visual connections to public spaces, allowing passing students and visitors to observe ongoing research activities.

Resource Management

The building showcases mass timber construction, a method still uncommon in southeastern U.S. academic buildings. By partnering with regional manufacturers, including a new South Carolina timber fabrication facility, the project strengthens local capabilities in sustainable construction. Even trees removed during site preparation find new purpose—their wood transformed into furniture and interior finishes, preserving the site's history within its new structure.

Campus Connection

When classes begin, the Forestry and Conservation building will give students an immersive setting to study their discipline. Each design element—from the exposed mass timber structure to the winding forest paths—reinforces fundamental principles of sustainable forestry. Here, architecture and nature combine to create spaces where students experience the essential connection between built and natural environments.