Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design

Innovative is a key descriptor for this highly sustainable building, the first timber structure built at Georgia Tech since the 1880s. The building houses lab space, classrooms and a lecture hall, all surrounding a two-level atrium. The design team chose mass timber for its environmental benefits, and took full advantage of the inspiration and learning opportunities by putting the wood structure on display. The Kendeda Building uses a diverse array of building materials, including nail-laminated timber (NLT) decking, glulam beams and columns, and salvaged wood for stair treads. Hybrid glulam and steel queen post trusses span the large spaces. Gravity and lateral elements are left exposed to give students a visual register of the structural forces at work. Exterior wood siding was harvested from recovered cypress sinker logs to further the sustainability message. And a steel porch canopy captures enough rainwater and solar energy to meet the site’s water and energy demands. The project is pursuing Living Building Challenge certification.