METAL & WOOD BLEND BEAUTIFULLY WITHIN 
WESTERN TENNESSEE COMMUNITY FACILITY

Charged with blending into the local agrarian vernacular while providing new community services, architect El Dorado put much thought into the materials and design of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture's The Crays at Lone Oaks Farm.

As West Tennessee's new center of higher education and shooting sports, the 7,040 square-foot Clays comprises the Hunter Education Classroom and Pavilion. As the first project in a multi-phased expansion, the Lone Oaks Farm is home to 200 acres of scenic pastures, large bodies of water, riparian zone restorations and protected woodlands in Middleton, Tenn.

Housing meeting rooms, classrooms, a catering kitchen and pro shop, the architects chose metal and wood to create these new handsome structures for the farm.

"Tangibly, we were focused on carefully selecting durable materials, using them selectively in places that would allow maximum length of life. The signature materials of metal and wood cladding are durable, long-lasting materials with local relevance from a material production and craft perspective," relates David Dowell, AIA, partner, El Dorado.