San Jacinto College Anderson-Ball Classroom Building

San Jacinto College introduced mass timber to Houston area students in dramatic fashion when they constructed this building using exposed glulam columns and beams and CLT panels. The three-story structure features 56 classrooms, a robotics lab, and lecture halls; it also includes formal and informal study and hang-out spaces, tucked away in traditionally underutilized niches and corridors. Wood makes a clear statement as students enter the building through a striking two-story lobby, designed with a double glulam column and beam configuration that also conceals sprinkler lines and electrical conduits. Due to the lighter weight of wood construction, designers were able to reuse portions of the foundation in the building being replaced—a 1950s-era classroom building—saving the San Jacinto College District time and money. The College has since used this project as a platform to promote the use of mass timber in the Gulf Coast region by hosting a series of mass timber conferences. 122,142 sf / Type III-B construction