THE FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH AUBURN UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION AND HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS.
In-class discussions paired with forest field tours provide future architects firsthand knowledge on forest management, timber harvest operations, wood building material production, and forest sustainability. Students gain a sense of forest sustainability as they realize the benefits of designing and building future projects using wood.
How it Works:
Forest Management and Sustainability
Students learn about sustainable forestry and the forest life cycle, including growth, management, harvests, and reforestation.
Harvest Operations
Students visit an active logging operation to gain understanding on how trees are harvested using best management practices. While on the jobsite, students see implementation of sustainability measures and better understand the process of how trees are harvested and transported from the woods to the production facility.
Wood Products Facility
After visiting the woods, students tour a wood building products manufacturing facility to see how every part of the harvested tree is utilized in the manufacturing process.
Building With Wood
Finally, students visit the Alabama Forestry Foundation building in downtown Montgomery to tour the building and see how wood can be used in building design and construction.
Wood Comp
The annual Alabama Forestry Student Design Competition for architect students, fondly known as “Wood Comp,” originated in the 1960s and continues today. Wood Comp acknowledges the student competition as a historical part of the second-year design studio curriculum, challenging students to understand the advancement of wood as a building material.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STUDENT ARCHITECT & BUILDING SCIENCE PROGRAM, PLEASE CONTACT:
Ashley Smith
Education Program Director
asmith@alaforestry.org
334-481-2137