Hickok Cole Wins Wood Innovations Grant

WASHINGTON DC – Hickok Cole is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 2018 USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations grant to study the use of cross-laminated wood components in structures slated to be built for Kingman Island & Heritage Island Park in Washington, DC. The firm led the development of a masterplan for the islands as part of a 2017 Planning & Feasibility Study funded by the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and the Environment. The masterplan calls for a series of outdoor classrooms and a ranger station that will act a gateway to the islands. The goal is to create a unique educational and recreational asset for children and residents of the District, while contributing to an engaged community and a healthy, restored Anacostia River. The revitalization of these islands is a key part of the District’s 2018 “Year of the Anacostia” campaign, and building the park elements out of a renewable resource aligns with the overall spirit of these rejuvenation efforts.

Hickok Cole’s 2017 master plan for Kingman and Heritage Islands

The Hickok Cole team’s winning proposal is one of 34 projects selected to explore the expansion and acceleration of wood products and wood energy markets across the country. “These Wood Innovation grants advance state-of-the-art solutions to reducing wildfire risk and making our forests healthier and more resilient,” said Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen. “The public-private partnerships leveraged with these grants also foster increased economic development in rural communities.”

The grant includes funding from the U.S. Forest Service along with matching funds from the Softwood Lumber Board and in-kind donations from the team of industry partners, including Oehme, van Sweden, Skanska, Arup, VIKA, Integral Group and Smartlam. The award will be used to fund schematic and design development efforts focused primarily on the proposed Kingman Island Ranger Station. The team seeks to design a modular ranger station prototype for the National Forest Service that features a storage unit, office, breezeway, classroom and restrooms all built from cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other wood products.

Kingman Island Ranger Station
Conceptual design for the Kingman Island Ranger Station

“We want this to be a prototype that the National Forest Service can reuse throughout the country, using the modular components to scale up and down based on the needs of the individual parks,” said Holly Lennihan, Director of Sustainable Design at Hickok Cole. “The use of CLT in our design makes an environmental statement mere blocks from the Capitol, and creates a learning environment where children and lawmakers alike can be exposed to the sustainable potential of a domestic wood industry.”

A kick-off charrette, including representatives from the Softwood Lumber Board, WoodWorks, and the U.S. Forest Service is scheduled for July 24th at Hickok Cole’s offices in Washington, DC.

About Hickok Cole

Hickok Cole is a forward-focused design practice connecting bold ideas, diverse expertise, and partners with vision to do work that matters. Informed by research and fueled by creative rigor, we look beyond today’s trends to help our clients embrace tomorrow’s opportunities.

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