More than 200 people gathered at the site of the future home of the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) to celebrate “topping out” the new building. A construction industry tradition, “topping out” marks completion of the building’s framing with the placement of the final piece of structural material, a major construction milestone.

U of A Chancellor Charles Robinson and Congressman Steve Womack were among the more than 200 guests, including faculty, staff and community leaders, who signed the final piece of cross-laminated timber, literally leaving their mark on the building, before it was hoisted and set in place with a construction crane. 

“The University of Arkansas is a place where research excellence thrives,” Robinson said. “Research with a purpose — a testament to our land-grant mission to serve the people of our great state — enabled by an exceptional institute driven to pioneer solutions to complex problems. With a mandate to use research to drive regional economic development, I³R is taking the university’s research capabilities and impact to new heights.”

Located at the southeast corner of Dickson Street and Duncan Avenue, the 144,000-square-foot I³R building will be a flexible state-of-the-art facility that empowers university-wide, multidisciplinary convergence research on the university campus. It will have capacity for about 200 researchers as well as multiple laboratories and collaborative spaces to enable cross-cutting research. The building is expected to open in late 2024. 

“I’m thrilled to celebrate this milestone in anticipation of the transformative research that will happen in this building,” said Ranu Jung, associate vice chancellor and I³R executive director. “The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research is a bold vision for the future of the University of Arkansas, a place driven by purpose and powered by the convergence and ingenuity of brilliant researchers where life-changing innovations become a reality.” 

The institute differs from similar research organizations in two key aspects: its focus on convergence research and its mandate to stimulate regional economic growth. As defined by the National Science Foundation, convergence research aims to address complex problems through deep integration across disciplines. The institute’s convergence approach goes beyond academic disciplines to include industry, government and non-profit sectors, which are needed to deploy and scale solutions derived from the research, leading to economic growth and positive societal impact.

“This building represents the excellence and exciting growth happening at the University of Arkansas,” Womack said. “The talent, resources and passion to lead are evident, which will clear the path for impactful innovation. The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research will make Arkansas the forefront of groundbreaking discoveries, with the potential to change the world.” 

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

More than 50,000 tons of dirt were moved to prepare the building site for construction, and more than 27 million pounds of concrete will be used. 

Cross-laminated timber, also known as mass timber or CLT, is another construction material that makes up a significant portion of the building. CLT is a prefabricated, engineered wood panel made from dimensional lumber planks that are stacked, glued and laminated in perpendicular layers under heavy pressure. It's gaining popularity in construction due to its ease of use and low environmental impacts, and CLT is a central component of the I³R building’s sustainable, environmentally friendly design.

Approximately 31,000 cubic feet of CLT will be used in the building’s construction. Placed end-to-end, the CLT planks would span approximately 102 miles, roughly the distance from Fayetteville to Catoosa, Oklahoma.

About the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I3R): Established through a $194.7 million gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, the University of Arkansas Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research pioneers solutions to wicked problems through convergence research across academic, industry, government, and non-profit sectors to make a positive societal impact by creating and deploying innovations to scale. Learn more at i3r.uark.edu. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.