Robinson Nature Center Wins National Award for Wooden Design

The Robinson Nature Center on Cedar Lane in Columbia has achieved national recognition its warm, healing wooden design.

WoodWorks, an initiative of the Wood Products Council, recently announced its 2014 U.S. Wood Design Award winners, and Robinson Nature Center was selected from among more than 140 entries.

The Columbia nature center took the prize in the Institutional Wood Design category, which recognizes libraries, municipal buildings and recreational facilities. This year, WoodWorks said it was specifically looking for projects that used wood to create a warm or healing environment and incorporated wood as the main structural material.

GWWO Architects, which designed the Robinson Nature Center, said it selected wood as the primary material for aesthetics, sustainability and ease of construction, outlining the reasoning as follows:

• Aesthetics: "Foremost, as a nature center, it was extremely important that Robinson appear modest upon approach while also minimizing the impact on the site and working in harmony with the setting," GWWO said. "By using cedar for the exterior, the siding blends seamlessly with the natural landscaping of the site, making it aesthetically pleasing to the eye and leaving nature itself as the main focal point of the attraction. Inside, the rich tones provided by the ash slats and oak flooring provide a warm welcome for visitors."
• Sustainability: The nature center achieved LEED platinum certification by using wood that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, low-emitting, recycled and/or regionally produced.
• Ease of construction: Using wood was "an easy choice," the architects said, because of "...its forgiving nature and production ease..." Several types of woods are used in the nature center, including cedar, southern pine, ash and oak.