University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) College of Architecture – Architecture Hall

A Historic Leap Forward at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Architecture Hall represents the Victorian history of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the only 19th-century building on its city campus. To accommodate an expanding student body while maintaining the original architecture, HDR partnered with NADAAA to deliver the HDR Pavilion. This four-story addition marks the first new space on the college complex in nearly 40 years and serves as a bridge between the university’s rich past and its future in sustainable design.

Creating a natural space

The entirely mass timber structure provides 21,252 square feet of modern studio spaces, student lounges, and dynamic crit areas. By utilizing exposed wood and long-span timber beams, the project creates a flexible and environmentally conscious learning environment that inspires the next generation of architects to push the envelope of mass timber construction.

Project Highlights

Historic Integration: Successfully adds a modern mass timber pavilion to a campus complex containing the oldest building in the UNL system, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

Architectural Synergy: Features a north façade of staggered Kalwall panels that allows natural daylight to illuminate the interior studios while creating a visual balance with the existing Victorian exterior.

Educational Innovation: Incorporates 31 new studio spaces and a four-story mass timber superstructure designed specifically to serve as a living example of unique timber engineering for students and faculty.

Technical Execution: SmartLam and the project team refined connections and engineering to ensure the preservation of historical integrity while delivering a high-performance building system optimized for assembly.

Photo credit to our friends from Timberlyne