As a growing construction firm, Nabholz Corporation has built numerous additions to the facilities at their Northwest Arkansas location. Over time, this additive process inadvertently resulted in the segmentation of departments and the eroding of the collaborative office working environment. They desired a new addition to their offices that would bring their employees together in an open office concept variant to showcase their thriving work culture. With a budding mass timber industry in Arkansas, they also wanted to exhibit their talents in cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction. Nabholz selected modus studio as their architect to design the addition, valuing our expertise in CLT design and in creating collaborative workspaces.
DIRTT, a modular interior wall system that arrives preinstalled with electrical, finishes, and other elements, as well as cross-laminated timber company XLam, was engaged early in the design-build process to keep the project under budget and to improve the project delivery time. The design team approached the project from a practical sustainability standpoint. Using our previous experience with mass timber structures, we were able to provide cost-effective sustainable structure solutions utilizing CLT systems. The warmth of the exposed wood structure creates inviting spaces and requires less paint, ultimately improving the building’s air quality. The perimeter of the space is wrapped by a series of glass office partitions, delivering a much-needed middle ground between an open-plan layout and the familiarity of private offices. The exterior consists of a vertical box-ribbed metal panel system and poured-in-place concrete walls using creative formwork. All of this unites into a minimalist aesthetic and a nod to classic modernism.
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