WOODSTACK

2023 Bethel Woods Art + Architecture Festival

Team: Dillon Pranger, Christopher Battaglia, Michael Graham, Emily Duong, Isac Colta, Scott Rainen

Woodstack challenges our perception of materials by interpreting them as a collection of existing and reusable objects. A contemporary term for this is to envision our buildings and their materials as an urban mine. Working with standard dimensional lumber, the project’s exterior appearance resembles monolithic stacks of material commonly found throughout the lumber industry. Just as the lumber yard is a temporary resting ground for materials before they move to their next destination, Woodstack’s design and construction techniques embrace a similar model of temporary existence as an architectural pavilion while allowing its materials to be easily disassembled and reused in another lifecycle.

The project is comprised of two parallel stacks of lumber that form an interior space for occupants to pause and contemplate whether each stack constitutes a shelf for the collection of materials or a wall assembly. To preserve each horizontal wood member of the pavilion no nails, screws, glues, or adhesives are used in the assembly, but instead a series of friction-fit connection details. Six concrete footings lift the project off the ground to protect it from moisture while a weather-resistant cladding is applied to protect both occupant and material.