The Agriculture and Natural Resources Building is mission-critical to the Institute of Agriculture’s key functions: it supports discovery research across multiple departments. It houses offices for Extension specialists and outreach conducted by the Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture, and the building provides state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and learning. The 10,000-sf green roof, with Tennessee native plant colonies modeling four distinct ecological horticultures, provides outdoor learning spaces and research plots while managing stormwater within its soil matrix. Informal learning spaces distributed on all floors adjacent to classrooms, class laboratories, and research laboratories enhance interdisciplinary, peer-to-peer learning.
Category: Institutional
Braselton Library
The rapidly growing Town of Braselton had outgrown its 7,420 sf public library. The library is situated one block from the primary intersection in the heart of the small historic downtown. The crossroads include the historic farmhouse of the town founder, John Oliver Braselton. The design of the existing one-story library is said to have been inspired by the historic home and its Colonial Revival style. Surrounding the historic farmhouse and neighboring the library site are numerous agricultural outbuildings.
The Braselton Library children’s wing and community room addition is a modern, gabled, two-story “outbuilding” that serves as a foil to the residential-inspired existing library. Responsive to the addition’s program, the simplistic pentagonal form is also reminiscent of a child’s interpretation of building form.
Biophilic design principles are employed through the integration of natural light, bold, nature-inspired color, and visual and physical connections to the outdoors. Vaulted two-story spaces allow natural light to spill deep into the library interior, while high-efficiency, low-iron-coated glass and shading devices on the south- and east-facing facades control it. The west wall of the building is swung open, revealing the contents inside through a north-facing curtain wall opening onto the new children’s garden and story walk. Storytime tiered seating extends from the building interior into the garden and is integrated into the staircase to the second-level community meeting room.
The new wing provides spaces that inspire education, exploration, and community activity through cohesive strategies that interconnect the building’s exterior design with its interior spaces.
Newberry Customer Service Center
The project is driven by the vision to create a state-of-the-art facility that demonstrates Michigan’s commitment to sustainable building practices and its rich forest resources. It represents a significant leap forward in construction, embracing innovation and sustainability to meet the needs of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and align with its commitment to sustainable forest management. The key design considerations focus on creating a functional space that supports both Customer Service and Field Office operations. The project is dedicated to incorporating sustainable practices, exemplified by the use of mass timber, thereby showcasing the area’s natural resources.
Andalusia Interpretive Center at Georgia College & State University
Located on the Andalusia homestead of author Flannery O’Connor, the new Interpretive Center is a modern reinterpretation of the agrarian vernacular of the historic farm site. Inside, a spacious exhibit room features permanent and rotating displays, complemented by a bookstore, collections storage, and administrative office space. The center serves as an educational and cultural resource that supports the historic site and preserves O’Connor’s legacy through campus programs and public events. Designed for scholarly research and visitor engagement, the interpretive center will celebrate literature, history, and the legacy of Flannery O’Connor, underscoring Andalusia as a cherished destination for enthusiasts worldwide.
BNA FBO Terminal and Hangar
Located at Nashville International Airport, this Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) terminal and hangar project redefines civic aviation infrastructure by balancing a refined passenger experience, operational functionality, and regional identity. The 13,454-square-foot terminal and 26,645-square-foot hangar with 3,175 square feet of support space are conceived as both a gateway for industry leaders and a workplace for highly trained aviation professionals. Replacing a previous structure on the same site, the facility introduces a cohesive architectural expression that reflects Nashville’s cultural vibrancy and the evolving demands of modern air travel.
The design centers on a clean, linear form animated by iridescent metal panels, splayed steel columns, and a richly textured stone palette. A continuous wood-look ceiling unites land- and airside entry points, visually anchoring a lobby filled with daylight from clerestory windows. Inside, a layered experience unfolds through curated zones for social interaction and quiet retreat. Amenities include a public lounge, café, conferencing, pilot support spaces, a secure VIP lounge, and an outdoor pet station—each space shaped by attention to acoustic comfort, daylighting, and purposeful materials.
In response to the site’s operational and regulatory complexity, the project integrates advanced sustainability and security measures. The facility is LEED certified, with native landscaping, bioswales, daylight harvesting, and smart lighting controls. The hangar features a removable valance for future aircraft accommodation and infrastructure for electric ground service equipment. More than an aviation terminal, the project is a cultural and architectural statement that elevates the traveler experience and sets a new standard for civic infrastructure.
Braselton Grist Mill
At the most prominent crossroads in downtown Braselton, the historic Enterprise Flour & Grist Mill has stood since c.1900 as a symbol of the town’s founding era. Once home to Northeast Georgia’s first full roller-process flour mill, the three-story timber structure operated until the 1960s and remarkably survived a 1920 tornado with its equipment still intact.
By the 21st century, however, the community faced a challenge: how to activate this landmark at the town center without compromising its integrity. In 2019, Arcollab was commissioned to study feasible futures and design a solution.
The final approach is a careful balance of preservation and adaptation. A modest 1,200-square-foot intervention provides office space for the Visitors Bureau Authority, while a new one-story glass lobby serves as a transparent hyphen between the historic mill and a new office addition. A raised boardwalk bridges from the town sidewalk to the lobby, enhancing accessibility while preserving existing topography and stormwater patterns.
The result allows the mill to remain intact as a museum while the addition generates income and civic activity. Together, old and new architecture celebrate Braselton’s past while ensuring its continued vitality.
John Lewis Student Center
John Lewis Student Center at Georgia Tech redefines the role of a student center by transforming a once-introverted building into the true experiential heart of campus. What were previously underperforming facilities are now an ensemble of four interconnected buildings sited along an energized pedestrian thoroughfare. Generous porches, shaded patios, and new landscaping dissolve the boundary between architecture and landscape, creating a seamless network of spaces that invite both movement and pause.
The design balances scale and intimacy. The new Exhibition Hall provides a premier venue for major events, offering a flexible ballroom, eleven meeting rooms, and expansive pre-function areas indoors and out. Adjacent pavilions introduce everyday amenities, including a café and a hands-on maker space—home to Paper & Clay, the university’s pottery and crafting program. The second phase transformed the original student center with a three-story addition, introducing theaters, dining and retail venues, student organization spaces, lounges, and a gaming area. These varied offerings are unified through intuitive wayfinding and interiors now suffused with natural light.
Equity and inclusivity are central to the project. Reflection rooms, multicultural lounges, and graduate student areas ensure that all voices are represented, while universal accessibility and adaptable layouts anticipate evolving needs over time. Environmental graphics pay homage to campus traditions and icons of the era.
Architecturally, the project emphasizes transparency, place, and resilience. Locally sourced and reused materials, along with new and efficient systems, balance durability with environmental stewardship. By day, light animates its interiors; by night, the occupancy sensors enable the buildings to glow outward as a beacon of welcome.
More than a collection of programs, this is a cultural catalyst—an enduring framework for community, legacy, and discovery.