The Johnson Owl Deck, also known as the Mass Timber Pavilion, has been nominated in ArchDaily’s 2024 Building of the Year in the small-scale and installation category.
The Johnson Owl Deck functions as a wildlife observation deck in Harris Gully, one of the most biodiverse areas on a university campus. The project stems from a class taught by Rice University School of Architecture Associate Professor Jesús Vassallo and designed with a team of graduate students, Pouya Khadem, M.Arch. '22, and Lene Sollie, M.Arch. '22, in collaboration with structural engineer Tracy Huynh, and Ensight Haynes Whaley as the Engineer of Record. Funding was obtained through a federal grant from the US Forest Service with additional gifts to the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the Lynn R. Lowrey Rice Arboretum Committee from Judy and Michael Johnson.
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