The recent recipients of the 2020 Pritzker Prize, Grafton Architects, have been chosen by the University of Arkansas to partner with Modus Studio to design the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation. 

Founders Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara are recognized for their outstanding work in building production and projects responding to urban and social issues. The new center is the duo's first built project in the U.S. In a press statement from the University, Farrell and McNamara share, "We are very excited about building our first building in the United States in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This building helps us think about the future optimistically, where the use of timber with all its possibilities, becomes real, useful, and hopefully loved."

The estimated $16 million design project will be part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and used as a research center for the University's timber and wood design projects. According to Chris Baribeau, principal at Modus Studio, "We are delighted and honored by this opportunity to work with Grafton Architects and the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. This is a unique opportunity to see the possibilities of an innovative wood building through an international lens while lending our Ozark perspective."

The institution is recognized for its extensive work in mass timber and wood design research. According to Farrell, the inspiration and creative direction or the build are to use "the building itself is a Story Book of Timber [...] We want people to experience the versatility of timber, both as the structural 'bones' and the enclosing 'skin' of this new building. The building itself is a teaching tool, displaying the strength, color, grain, texture, and beauty of the various timbers used." 

The new center's design will not only be a representation of the University's goals and mass timber initiatives, but it will also respond to the local climate and its environment Farrell explains. The firm was chosen from a shortlist of 6 proposals from a design competition funded by the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. According to the University, the project is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2020.