What: Construction of the MASS Haptic timber pavilion
When: Tuesday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: The lawn east of the Constans Theatre, 1800 McCarty Drive, Gainesville. Look for a green fence encircling the construction site.
Contact: Megan Winslow, winslow@ufl.edu
About: Architects working with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) School of Forest, Fisheries & Geomatics Sciences (SFFGS) will construct a temporary 400-square-foot timber pavilion near the Reitz Union.
The pavilion, known as the MASS Haptic project, will remain on campus for an estimated two to three years and serve as an educational tool, promoting construction with renewable, grown and locally sourced materials — a practice with the potential to generate a reduced carbon footprint compared to traditional construction practices. Architects from the Miami-based Atelier Mey firm will use slash pines felled from the university’s Austin Cary Forest as the pavilion’s column structure and southern yellow pine cross-laminated timber (CLT) for the roof panels.
SFFGS staff envision the structure as a site for outdoor lectures, meet-ups, game day festivities and relaxation.
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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