Location: Cambridge, England.

Architect: Feilden Fowles.

The award-winning Homerton College Dining Hall by Feilden Fowles, which forges a contemporary alternative to conventional forms of building, was built using sweet chestnut glulam for the structure and interior lined with ash.

The dining hall’s towering long-span butterfly trusses, which are made of substantial beams and columns of engineered sweet chestnut, are reminiscent of classic collegiate halls despite inverting the conventional pitch to create a valley-shaped roof. This structure was essential to the design from the beginning since it allowed for a large, open space without any obstructing supports.