Lane Community College’s New Education Center Feature Mass Timber and Steel Hybrid Construction
New community college facility will include exposed Mass Ply ceilings
Photo provided by Lease Crutcher Lewis
Starting in the Winter term of 2025, students of Lane Community College (LCC) in Eugene, Oregon, will have access to a brand new facility, focused on workforce development and a long-term goal to bolster Oregon’s economic growth. The Industry and Trades Education Center (ITEC) is a 55,353-square-foot building with three floors of space for instruction across industries such as manufacturing and construction technologies, unmanned aircraft systems, and select apprenticeship programs. The innovative mass timber and steel hybrid design will complement the programs offered, using exposed steel beams and Freres Engineered Wood’s Mass Ply Panels (MPP) as its primary structural components.
“The mass timber industry is something we’re proud of here in Oregon,” says Riley Allen, a project manager with Lease Crutcher Lewis. “The Mass Ply is exposed on the underside, so when you’re walking those corridors, you’re seeing beautiful, Oregon-grown wood above your head.”
Photo provided by Lease Crutcher Lewis
Project partners selected MPP for the ITEC facility thoughtfully and intentionally. They wanted to prioritize local businesses and products, since the primary purpose of the ITEC building is to support Oregon’s economic health by educating future workers in prominent and emerging industrial trades. The mass timber and steel hybrid design and key structural components of the facility also match this mission, hinting at the programs offered inside. “The steel structure alludes to that machining aspect of the building, and the wood structure is alluding to carpentry and other related trades,” says Allen.
The ITEC build was Lewis’ first opportunity to work with MPP, and now that they’re nearing the end of the project, the team looks forward to exploring opportunities on future projects. “From the perspective of being on the job site, I really like working with MPP,” says Lewis senior project engineer Sterling Kane. “The Mass Ply is really the strength of the subfloor, so we were able to shuttle electricians, plumbers, and HVAC tradespeople down each floor on scissor lifts ahead of concrete pours. It accelerated our schedule by allowing us to get other trades on each deck a lot faster than you would with typical corrugated pan decking.”
Like Kane, Allen shares the sentiment about Mass Ply and Freres Engineered Wood. “I have nothing but good things to say about the Freres Wood team, their product, and how this project came together,” he adds. “Great partner to work with.”
Photo provided by Lease Crutcher Lewis, LLC
Allen and Kane anticipate the ITEC building will be complete and ready for occupancy by Thanksgiving of 2024, just in time to welcome LCC’s next cohort of students for the Winter 2025 term. With the help of their new advanced trades education facility, LCC is poised to significantly contribute to the region’s workforce and future economic health for decades to come.