Grinnel, Iowa

Grinnell College's new campus center uses a materials palette that is regional and authentic, beautiful without pretention. Chief among the woods is FSC-Certified Maple. The quarter-cut maple is produced by clipping the sides off flat-cut centers. It's typically too narrow for architectural use, but perfect for the random-matched, style-and-rail panels the architects envisioned for the space. While the name suggests otherwise, random matching is one of the most challenging methods of matching veneer. It demands the highest level of woodworking skill to select, sequence, layout, and maintain sequences throughout installation. Kudos to the team at Architectural Components Group team who worked alongside us and the architects from the earliest stages to produce the panels, as well as the inventive ceiling panels of FSC flat cut Maple, and the remarkable Douglas Fir wall and ceiling panels that enwrap the center's soaring multipurpose room.

Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli
Millwork: Architectural Components Group
Panel layup: Formwood Industries
Face manufacturing: Woodland Face Veneer
Doors: Eggers Industries