Wofford College, Chandler Center for Environmental Studies, front lawn
Wofford_Enviromental_Chandler_Center_20_10_3019
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Wofford College, Chandler Center for Environmental Studies

Wofford College envisioned an academic facility that would strengthen its environmental studies program while demonstrating the principles students explore in the classroom. The 20,000-square-foot Chandler Environmental Studies Center brings laboratories, classrooms, faculty offices, a seminar room, gardens, and outdoor gathering areas together in a hands-on learning environment.

Mass Timber Supports Sustainable Design

The building uses mass timber throughout its structural system, including cross-laminated timber floor decks and roof panels and glulam framing made from Southern Yellow Pine. Sourcing this renewable material from the region helped reduce the project’s embodied carbon while connecting the architecture to its Southern context.

Exposed structural and building systems allow students to see how the facility works. An interactive dashboard also displays energy consumption, turning the building into an active teaching tool for environmental education.

Rainwater collection supports landscape irrigation, while solar panels, a partial green roof, native and non-invasive plantings, and heat island reduction strategies further limit the building’s environmental impact. Operable windows provide natural ventilation, and interior glazing brings borrowed daylight into laboratories and classrooms. Together, these strategies helped the center earn Three Green Globes certification.

Connecting Contemporary Design with Campus Character

The center complements the neighboring Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, designed by McMillan Pazdan Smith, while offering a contemporary contrast to Wofford’s traditional campus architecture. Its natural materials, abundant daylight, and connections to gardens and outdoor spaces create a healthy setting for learning, research, and collaboration.

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Awarded:

  • AIA SC, Design Award, New Construction, 2021
  • AIA Greenville, Merit Award, New Construction, 2021
  • American School & University, Louis I. Kahn Citation, 2021
  • BD+C, Silver Building Team Award, 2021

Certified: Three Green Globes® by Green Building Initiative® (GBI)

3 Green Globes