New Campus Pavilion Offers Sustainable Gathering Space

What started nearly two years ago as a vision for a bus shelter evolved into a campus pavilion that now serves as a hub for sustainability, student engagement and innovative design. 

The Floating Grove, located between Biltmore Hall and Jordan Hall, not only highlights sustainable construction techniques but also provides a welcoming space for students, faculty and staff to gather, study and engage with the campus community.

Made out of cross-laminated timber (CLT), The Floating Grove is the first mass timber structure on campus. CLT is an engineered wood product that offers significant structural and environmental benefits compared to traditional building materials.

“Using this sort of natural resource in a building structure is better for the environment than using steel and concrete,” said Rico Ruffino, an assistant professor of the practice in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. 

Ruffino, who acted as a faculty liaison and coordinator for the design and construction of The Floating Grove, said the idea originated from his colleague, Frederik Laleicke, an associate professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Forest Biomaterials. 

Laleicke pitched the idea of building a bus shelter made of CLT, and Ruffino, who has extensive experience in industrial and product design and serves as coordinator of the department’s Sustainable Design Lab, agreed to help.

Ruffino’s design piqued the interest of several local transportation companies and municipalities, including the cities of Raleigh and Durham. But after encountering funding challenges, the two professors decided to refocus their project and initiated a campus-based endeavor instead.

With a new concept for a campus pavilion in mind, Ruffino and Laleicke contacted NC State Facilities to find a location, launched a design contest for students and partnered with the Sustainability Stewards to apply for a grant to fund construction. 

The student-based design was ultimately awarded a Sustainability Fund grant, but Ruffino and Laleicke encountered more challenges, including the need for a new construction site and the fact that the grant couldn’t cover all the associated costs.

Partnerships that Shape Possibility

In need of help, Ruffino and Laleicke connected with the School of Architecture’s design-build program, a hands-on learning course where College of Design students build a project for community clients over the course of 11 weeks in the summer.

Ruffino and other project partners decided to apply their grant to the design-build program and began the search for a new construction site, eventually landing on an area between Biltmore Hall and Jordan Hall recommended by campus architects and grounds staff.

While the design-build program worked on a redesign of the pavilion, Ruffino and others began the process of procuring construction materials, securing raw lumber from Jordan Lumber, a longtime industry partner and donor to the College of Natural Resources.

Evergreen, another industry partner that collaborates with Ruffino, provided CLT panels for the project. Many other supporters also contributed materials that the design-build program used to construct the pavilion over the past summer.

“The Floating Grove simply wouldn’t exist without the partnerships that brought it to life,” Ruffino said. “Every step of this project reflects the power of collaboration in turning shared ideas into something tangible and lasting.” 

Sustainable Design in Action

Ruffino recently partnered with Trashy to outfit The Floating Grove with sustainable furniture. Based in Raleigh and founded by NC State alum Laura Olson ‘23, Trashy incorporates Styrofoam and glass into concrete products.

Using leftover CLT panels, Ruffino and students from the Sustainable Design Lab created the wood bases for four tables and 16 stools. Olson and her team at Trashy took on the task of creating concrete seats and tops for the furniture pieces.

Trashy utilized 300 pounds of Styrofoam collected by NC State Waste Reduction and Recycling during the fall 2025 student move-in process, densifying and grounding it into an aggregate before sending it to a manufacturing partner to be integrated into concrete.

Ruffino, who will install the tables and stools in early November, said the addition of the furniture creates an inviting space for studying, socializing and collaboration, ultimately enhancing The Floating Grove’s usability and sustainability profile.

A New Chapter Takes Root

A ribbon-cutting for The Floating Grove was held on Thursday, October 30, 2025 where project leaders and collaborators celebrated the culmination of their efforts and the unveiling of a structure that embodies innovation and sustainable design.

“The Floating Grove embodies our university’s commitment to a more collaborative, sustainable and resilient future. It’s a place where people can gather and hopefully be reminded of how deeply our natural and built environments are intertwined,” said Myron Floyd, dean of the College of Natural Resources.

Looking ahead, the project team plans to maintain The Floating Grove as a community hub and to continue promoting sustainability and student involvement, ensuring the pavilion remains a living, evolving part of campus life.

The Floating Grove is open to all students, faculty and staff at NC State, and may be used for academic activities, events and other purposes. To reserve the space for an event, please contact the Academic Affairs Office in the College of Natural Resources.

This post was originally published in College of Natural Resources News.