Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Architecture

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Architecture

Advisor/Mentor

Kennedy, David

Committee Member

Carpenter, Angela

Second Committee Member

McCown, Ken

Abstract

Based on a speculative future where mass timber has become a normalized structural material, integrated into the building envelope as commonplace, and material reuse and reclamation are standard practice. The Anthony Timberlands Center is slated for deconstruction due to age and necessity for more updated programing. Today in 2025 as the building has not even reached completion, how can its assembly and use influence its purpose after the initial lifespan?

This study is based on principles of design for deconstruction from two different theories: the 6 S’s of a building devised by Stewart Brand, and Philip Crowther's 10 frameworks for deconstruction design. These two methods are then used together as a theoretical framework for breaking down and understanding the ATC at the end of its life for deconstruction. This study relates to the large conversation around the impact of architecture on waste production, growing mass timber use, and the industry's relationship with a building's end of life. The scope of this study is twofold: one in its analysis of a specific building, the ATC, and the other in its context, looking solely at US waste and construction streams and practices. The way in which deconstruction and its speculation are understood in this study is through the lens of the American standards.

In conclusion this building can be deconstructed, theoretically, it is important to qualify in this framework the reality of the proposal. Are these methods achievable? How much waste is still generated? Can this building achieve full disassembly at all levels? The scope of this study is already informative about this issue. Limiting the scope to the timber systems and ignoring MEP and concrete construction simplifies the study. The large number of details, connection types, wet construction, and unique construction are real obstacles in the way of deconstruction. The Brand and Crowther methodologies worked well together to deepen the study. The language and building classifications that Brand proposes work with the frameworks to break down the building into an understandable format. This layering system also pushes continuity between the frameworks. This method of study provides a framework for these future endeavors. The idea of speculating a building's death, even ascribing the verb “death” to something, implies something more serious and impactful than framing this solely around reuse and waste.

Keywords

Architecture; Deconstruction; Material lifecycle; Arkansas; Mass Timber

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Available for download on Thursday, May 07, 2026

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