WIA_ISSUE2_2023

BIG PICTURE
members. It was also said to be the
first project in the US to use an efficient
hybrid wood and glass enclosure to
envelop two existing structures.
Parallam is made by bonding together
“thin strands of wood” like southern
pine, yellow poplar, Douglas fir or
western hemlock that are “typically
4-8ft-long”, and offers good connection
strength and ductility due to its
uniformity, not prone to splitting failures
at connections like sawn timber or
glue-laminated timber. 1 It also has
strong insect resistance.
The custom timber structure supports
a 650ft-long curved cable-suspended
glazed facade. Each of the 18 massive
elliptically-turned parallam columns
are tipped with a custom-shaped
350lb, or approximately 159kg,
casting and tilted at 4° from vertical
axis. The 50-60ft-high columns not
only support the suspended array of
parallam glazing members, but also a
500ft-long steel roof structure with 90ft
cantilever. According to a statement
by the architect, the parallam columns
“have an elliptical shape to reduce their
visual impact and are spaced 36ft apart
so that the building still feels quite
transparent”. 2
3
Although the timber-backed glass
facade supporting a steel roof was a
complex design, the decision to use
wood was an easy one. “Like most arts
projects, especially non-profits like the
Arena Stage, the budget was very tight,”
said Michael Heeney, a key member
of the architectural team, Bing Thom
Architects of Vancouver, Canada (now
Revery Architecture). “We did not have
money for finishes, so the structure had
to be beautiful, and wood made perfect
sense. Yet in the end, wood ended up
doing triple duty. We used it to hold up
the roof; we also used it to hold up the
glass; and it provided the final finish for
the space. Wood was very cost-effective
in all three respects.” WIA
References
1. StructureCraft. Parallel strand lumber.
2. Arena Stage. Architect’s statement.
3. WoodWorks. Arena Stage – Innovative hybrid
structure in DC.
4 5
3 Wood was used to hold up the roof, to hold
up the glass, and to provide the final finish
for the space
4 Eighteen massive elliptically-turned
parallam columns that support the glass
structure
5 The 50-60ft-high columns not only support
the suspended array of parallam glazing
members, but also a 500ft-long steel roof
structure with 90ft cantilever
WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 2– 2023 23