FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Nabholz Charitable Foundation has pledged $100,000 to support the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas.

The organization’s gift also counted in Campaign Arkansas, the university’s capital campaign that raised nearly $1.45 billion to advance academic opportunity.

“When we first heard about this project, we realized the Anthony Timberlands Center would serve as the epicenter for mass timber design in Arkansas and beyond,” said Charles Nabholz, chairman emeritus. “With Nabholz having delivered the university’s first mass timber project, Adohi Hall, just a year ago, we know personally how bright the future is for timber and wood design initiatives. We’re proud to assist the University of Arkansas as it takes this critical step in preparing students to design in an ever-evolving world.”

A specific naming opportunity in recognition of the Nabholz Charitable Foundation in the Anthony Timberlands Center will be determined at a later date and is subject to the approval of the chancellor and the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas.

“The Fay Jones School is immensely grateful to the Nabholz Charitable Foundation for this commitment to the Anthony Timberlands Center project,” said Peter MacKeith, dean of the school. “Our school works daily to prepare students for productive collaboration with those who construct the buildings and landscapes they learn to design; our partnerships with the construction industry of Arkansas are essential and valued. This gift from the Nabholz Charitable Foundation emphatically reinforces this particular partnership for us, and I am grateful  to Charlie Nabholz and the Nabholz leadership team for their friendship, trust and support.”

Anticipation is growing for the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, particularly because it will make a positive economic impact on the state, which is among the country’s top timber producers.

Nabholz said, “The industry continues to recognize timber as a more sustainable, clean alternative to traditional construction materials. This trend could translate to significant economic gains for Arkansas, where timber is a large industry.”

When Adohi Hall was completed in fall 2019, it was the nation’s first large-scale mass timber residence hall project. The design used cross-laminated timber panels and glue-laminated pieces – both mass timber products. Because cross-laminated timber panels are prefabricated, they are quick to install and generate little waste on the construction site.

Nabholz said that being at the forefront of a new design trend could also translate to more manufacturing jobs in the state.

“By educating a new generation of designers to utilize this building material, the University of Arkansas is laying the groundwork for our state to lead the U.S. in creating beautiful and innovative timber structures,” he said.

The Nabholz name will be a part of the new facility in more ways than one. Nabholz Construction Corporation is also the chosen contractor for the new Anthony Timberlands Center.

“Building on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville is always an exciting opportunity for our firm,” Nabholz said. “Adding a new learning space to the historic Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is especially gratifying, as it supports the future of our industry. Construction and design are so closely intertwined that one cannot succeed where the other does not. We look forward to one day making tangible the innovative designs created in the Anthony Timberlands Center.”

The building is under design by Grafton Architects of Dublin, Ireland, the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipients, working with Modus Studio of Fayetteville.

About Campaign Arkansas: Campaign Arkansas is the recently concluded capital campaign for the University of Arkansas that raised a record $1.449 billion to support the university’s academic mission and other key priorities, including academic and need-based scholarships, technology enhancements, new and renovated facilities, undergraduate, graduate and faculty research, study abroad opportunities and other innovative programs. The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in a wide spectrum of disciplines as it works to fulfill its public land-grant mission to serve Arkansas and beyond as a partner, resource and catalyst.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.