It has been exactly one year since the Anthony Timberlands Center made its debut on the northwest corner of the University of Arkansas campus, and the Fayetteville skyline has never been the same. Driving down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the building’s sheer size and mass timber design demand a second glance. For the first year, the facility served as an impressive construction site. Now, the students of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design are using the space as a full-time classroom, learning to manipulate wood structures in a way that feels part university lecture hall, part futuristic lab. The shift into full operation signifies a maturation of the university’s focus on the sustainable material. The building isn’t just a pretty face for prospective students; it is a practical application of mass timber technology. Architectural students are already presenting inside the space, utilizing the building’s open floors and precise joinery to sketch plans and discuss engineering limits. The transition of leadership at the school supports this focus on wood innovation. Timothy Stevens officially took over as dean on Aug. 15, 2026. He steps in for Peter MacKeith, who has returned to the faculty full-time to concentrate on growing the school’s initiatives in timber and wood design innovation. This move keeps the vision of the center anchored in its mission, allowing strategic growth while Stevens handles the administrative side of things. For local architecture and construction pros, the center represents the future of how buildings are erected in the region. It takes the raw industry that drives a large chunk of Northwest Arkansas logistics and creativity and treats it like high art. The “second glance” people take when passing the building on MLK Jr. is well-earned; the structure is proving that mass timber can handle more than just coffee tables. Fayetteville’s housing and design industries are watching the Fay Jones School closely. When students learn inside a space like this, they are breaking ground on a new way of thinking about N
Source: NWA Democrat Gazette
