Anonymous Hall is the new name for Dartmouth College’s former Dana Biomedical Library, which was stripped down to its steel-and-concrete frame and transformed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates into a sleek four-story building wrapped in terra cotta and glass. The architects answered a few questions about the building, whose name recognizes the many generous alumni who have given back to the school over the years. Read More.
“Mass Timber is changing how construction is done,” says Tom Chung, a principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates. “Construction is completed more quickly, there is much less labor needed, it’s quieter, and there is significantly less construction waste.” Mass Timber Construction is appealing to advocates of sustainability. By using wood instead of steel or concrete, a project leaves a much lighter carbon footprint. Read more.
Tom Chung, one of Leers Weinzapfel’s principals, said that the firm is bullish on mass timber for its many obvious, pragmatic advantages: it’s a renewable resource, has a less carbon-intensive manufacturing process than concrete or steel, and can be locally sourced across much of the country. But for Andrea Leers, cofounding principal, the material’s advantages go beyond economic or even ecological considerations. “The contentment that comes from being in a wood environment is a huge incentive,” she said. “The smell of the wood, the feel of it, the appreciation of it is something rooted in human experience. Everybody knows wood. Everybody’s touched trees. It’s very immediate.” Read More.
Ashley Rao is a senior associate at Leers Weinzapfel Associates. She was project manager for Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas, the largest completed mass timber project in the US. A passionate advocate for sustainable design (and good eating), Ashley relishes new challenges and is eager to share what she has learned. Read more.
We take great pride in the diversity of our practice. Leers Weinzapfel Associates is a majority women-owned firm, created in 1981 by founding principals Andrea Leers and Jane Weinzapfel and later joined by Principals Josiah Stevenson and Tom Chung. With architectural staff from around the world, there is a more vibrant interchange of ideas with an infusion of diverse viewpoints and fluidity of approaches.
We support woman and the supporters of woman!
Named for alumni and friends who have quietly supported the college over two centuries, the $28 million project reuses and adds to vacant 1960s library in the siloed north campus quad, transforming it into an administrative and social center for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a communal hub for the area. Part of a wider campus renewal plan, metrics show the project is close to net zero energy use. Read more.
“This project brings together two previously divided sections of Dartmouth’s venerable grounds, creating a new social hub and a fresh sense of place on its north campus,” said Josiah Stevenson, Leers Weinzapfel principal-in-charge.
The Dutch magazine HoutBlad published in their February feature Adohi Hall, University of Arkansas, the largest completed mass timber project in the US.
“With its high-tech, efficient curtain wall; solar canopy; and high R value walls, carbon savings exceed all expectations, and design models show the project energy use approaches net zero,” said Principal-in-Charge Josiah Stevenson, Leers Weinzapfel, in a release.
March 2021 – High-Profile Monthly (high-profile.com), Page 22
Principal Tom Chung, FAIA spoke at the kick off the 2021 TIMBER+ forum cycle hosted by Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH).
TIMBER+ Mass Timber Architecture Roundtable | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (sgh.com)