Simple Elegance

by Marcy Marro | July 1, 2022 12:00 am

The 2022 Metal Architecture Design Award judges were so impressed with the overall project, they named it the Grand Award winner. Judge Rand Elliott, FAIA, president of Rand Elliott Architects[1], Oklahoma City, says, “I thought this was really a stunning project, just about simplicity and using the forms that they did and how the metal really works. Yet there’s a sort of spin that makes it independent and its own personality. I thought it was handsomely done.”

“It’s just so elegant and beautiful,” says judge Mark Roddy, FAIA, principal of Mark Roddy Architects[2], Sacramento, Calif. “It’s a beautiful take on a vernacular, and I think the simplicity and just this simple elegance of that textured metal is so beautifully contrasted with the wood liner on the inside of it. It’s just super elegant; it’s beautiful.”

Judge Lee Calisti, AIA, principal of lee CALISTI architecture+design[3], Greensburg, Pa., adds, “It’s just a great building and I think buildings like this often go unrecognized because of its formal simplicity. It’s really tight; the details are sharp. What’s fascinating about it to me is that it’s almost as if the building is made of metal and when you carve into it, you see that it has an underbelly, or an interior that’s another material, which happens to be the wood. There’s an authenticity to how they use the metal, and they’re not relying on a lot of formal moves to make their point. It’s just a simple gable; it sits there serenely. But looking at it, it really is lovely.”

MASTER PLAN

The Clays is the first of multiple phases of design and construction at Lone Oaks Farm, which is made up of 1,200 acres of scenic pastures, large bodies of water, riparian zone restorations and protected woodlands in Middleton, Tenn. After an acquisition by the University of Tennessee, the farm was envisioned in the master plan as a center of hospitality, agriculture and youth education for West Tennessee. The 7,040-square-foot Clays is made up of two buildings: the Hunter Education Classroom and Pavilion.

To provide a contemporary, durable facility, the Clays takes cues from the existing agrarian structures on the property, while adopting updated performance standards. Situated to leverage the ecology and beauty of the farm, the building is made up of approximately 6,800 square feet of meeting rooms, classrooms, a catering kitchen and pro shop. Sporting games such as trap, skeet and a clays course are integrated into the landscape, resulting in a high-end experience for area youth, 4-H campers, as well as amateur and competitive shooters.

El Dorado[4], Kansas City, Mo., worked on the master plan in 2016-2017, and won the first phase of implementation, the Clays, through a highly competitive public RFQ process. David Dowell, AIA, partner, El Dorado, explains that there were a handful of important design principles that were established during the master plan, with the intent that Lone Oaks Farm would develop over time as a unique, unified campus for the UT Institute of Agriculture.

LOCAL INSPIRATION

Establishing a connection to the local agrarian vernacular was an important aspect of the project. Judge Elliott notes the project feels like the farm, like it belongs in an agrarian landscape, but yet has an elegance to it that makes it fresh and new. “It sort of seems to fit its name and its purpose and that’s wonderful when it can be elevated to this level, and I think that one of the things that makes it successful is that the proportion is really beautiful. I think that’s how great farm buildings and great buildings like this are successful; it’s simply about proportion and scale.”

“One of these principles was the idea that new buildings should interact with the local agricultural and rural vernacular, while also accommodating any new facility’s program,” Dowell explains. “The simple form of the building was inspired by local barns and even metal buildings that dot so much of West Tennessee. The color is an homage to Scott and Kathy Ledbetter, who owned the property before UTIA. Most of their buildings, old and new, were painted an elegant bronzy black, lovingly called Ledbetter Bronze. The envelope of the new Hunter Education Station is Ledbetter Bronze.”

Additionally, flexibility and durability were core concerns of the design team. The layout and scale of the facility is capable of handling both large weekend crowds and intimate weekday instruction without feeling under-appointed or oversized. When it came to choosing the exterior cladding, Dowell says durability and longevity were key pragmatic drivers. The selected ribbed metal panels provide a durable, cost-effective skin to the buildings. “From an aesthetic perspective, ribbed panels give us a nice texture that is quite forgiving,” he notes.

The project features approximately 11,000 square feet of Nashville, Tenn.-based Elevate’s[5] (formerly Firestone Building Products’[6]) 24-gauge UC-601 corrugated seam panel system in Minneapolis-based Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings’[7] Dark Bronze Kynar 500 finish. “This commodity-based system paired with a vernacular form sets an aspirational bar for the numerous purpose-built, mission driven buildings to follow,” adds Dowell.

MULTIPLE LAYERS

The ribbed metal cladding plays a critical role in the architectural concept of layering. The dark bronze metal is a hard, durable shell that protects the warm cypress wood on the interior. Within the cypress layer, exposed at the three thresholds, is a vibrant fiber-cement cladding painted Tennessee Volunteer orange.

All the building’s in-between places—not outside, but not inside either—are clad in cypress. “Given that people come here mostly to be outside, we wanted the building to feel like it belongs on a farm campus and that porches and corridors offered shade and protection from the elements,” Dowell says. “Inside spaces are purpose built, to support meetings, orientation, classes, seminars and food preparation.”

Layering is evident at both the building-scale and detail-scale, where special attention was given to material transitions, flashing moments, and color and tone. “Layering is important due to the way people use the building, and in the way the building responds to the seasons and year-round usage,” says Dowell. “Vernacular buildings in the area were designed and built around layers. It’s an indoor/outdoor building. The layers reflect this.”

Each of the materials chosen for the project accentuate its individual strengths and innate qualities while overcoming any inherent shortfalls, Dowell explains. “Soft wood is an important material for economic development in Tennessee, historically and in the future. From a design perspective, it’s part of the local vernacular. Given the focus on providing broad opportunities for local contractors and craftspeople, wood is common ground in West Tennessee.”

CONSERVATION

As a University of Tennessee project, the Hunter Education Station meets the High- Performance Building Requirements set forth by the Office of the State Architect, which are designed to preserve Tennessee’s vast natural resources and to protect the health and well-being of visitors and users of state facilities.

The project is also funded in part by the Pitman Robertson Act, which is a part of a national commitment to conservation, mostly in rural areas. Dating back to the 1930s, proceeds from taxes on archery equipment and ammunition are used for conservation education and wildlife restoration across the U.S.

According to Dowell, the biggest sustainability features of this project are simultaneously tangible and aspirational, and they work hand in hand with one another. “Tangibly, we were focused on carefully selecting durable materials, using them selectively in places that would allow maximum length of life. Like UTIA and the folks at Lone Oaks Farm, we are committed to being good stewards of natural resources. The signature materials of metal and wood cladding are durable, long-lasting materials with local relevance from a material production and craft perspective.”

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/articles/simple-elegance-the-clays-at-lone-oaks-farm/

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