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Wood on the Plaza is a student initiative to create an exhibition on Wood Architecture complete with a large timber grid shell on the plaza of the Fine Arts Center at UMass, Amherst. The intent of the exhibition is to demonstrate the beauty and new-age sophistication of building with wood and to highlight the significance of the new UMass Design Building. The exhibition will open with a gala event in mid-April and close in late June.
The project is run by Associate Professor Peggi Clouston, Adjunct Faculty John Fabel, and the Wood Design Studio class, which consists of 9 students: Student Exhibition Coordinator: Nick Jeffway, Student Shell Coordinator: Rommel Cordova Fiori, and Student leads and activity managers: Sean Buenaventura, Greg Connery, Mohamed El-Shamy, Richard Hicks, Stewart Scannell, Chris Therrien, and Xing Yu. The team will oversee the final design choices, fabrication, fundraising, and, of course, construction of the grid shell.
Around 20 more students will be needed for the actual build process. Many have expressed interest already from various parts of the university, including
Building and Construction Technology, Architecture, Engineering, and students from the Theater department. If you'd like to help, please let us know!
Student groups in Europe have successfully built these types of structures in recent years and we are certain that we can do the same.
Having completed the engineering design of the grid shell, we are ready to start fabrication. All that is needed is funding to purchase the materials! Please give now!
At the end of the fundraiser, we plan on having a large thank you post to all the people that donated to us. You'll get a special mention.
Become a part of history and get your name on our donor wall. We will have a donor wall section at the exhibit and on our website. This is our way of thanking you, and letting you know that you really matter to us!
You'll receive a VIP invitation to the opening ceremony which will include early access to the event, priority seating, and a personal welcoming by the project team. *Disclaimer: Due to potential safety issues seats may not be available. In that case, VIP guests will be given the closest, best view section available for the opening ceremony.
You’ll get a Wood On The Plaza T-shirt and a personal tour of the revolutionary new Design Building.
Students! Are you looking for an interesting opportunity to advertise your club? Look no further! By paying this advertiser fee you will be offered a prime location at our exhibit to table and advertise your club. The location of the gridshell has been strategically selected in a place with a lot of pedestrian activity - so you are sure to get a lot of attention! You'll also get to keep a Wood On The Plaza T-shirt - it'll be the best of both worlds!
Want to show that your company is all about sustainability? Want to be there to represent your company? Well this is the way to do it. By paying this fee you will be able to hang up a company banner, as well as have your company's logo on the event schedule handout. Furthermore you will be given the option of setting up a table near the exhibit to further advertise your company through one-on-one interactions with people.
VVIP donors will receive the ultimate Gridshell experience. Prior to exhibit opening each donor will be given an individual walk through with an in-depth explanation of the project. They will also be invited to attend the ribbon cutting event and have backstage access to the Gridshell Lifting process. Lastly, they will receive a t-shirt signed by the project team members. This will be the ultimate experience and you do not want to miss out!