UVA School of Architecture Faculty Earn 4-VA Grant for Collaborative Research with JMU on Urban Wood Construction

Faculty at the University of Virginia School of Architecture have been awarded a 4-VA Collaborative Research Grant to support a cross-institutional project investigating new approaches to sustainable wood construction. The project, Robotic Construction, Machine Visioning & Artificial Intelligence in Structural Design with Urban Wood, brings together UVA faculty members Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann, UVA Sawmilling founder Andrew Spears, and James Madison University faculty member Nick Brinen.

Led by MacDonald, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director of Material Research and Development in the UVA Before Building Laboratory (BBL), the project team will explore how emerging technologies can unlock the architectural potential of urban wood. Each team member brings a distinct focus to the work: MacDonald, as principal investigator, leads research on material performance; Schumann, Assistant Professor of Architecture, BBL’s Director of Robotic Construction, and co–principal investigator, advances robotic construction, machine vision, and artificial intelligence; and Brinen, Assistant Professor of Architecture at JMU and co–principal investigator, contributes expertise in community-engaged applied practice. Spears supports the project as a collaborator, specializing in urban forestry and material sourcing.

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The research centers on increasing the efficiency and viability of urban wood, a local and underutilized resource, using robotic construction, machine vision, and artificial intelligence. The team will document, inventory, and analyze urban wood through advanced 3D scanning and digital processing, translating this data into design strategies for structural applications. The project asks how emerging technologies can better document irregular timber, how artificial intelligence can streamline data processing, and how digital workflows can inform both traditional and robotic construction. These approaches will guide the development of full-scale architectural prototypes, fabricated through both conventional and robotic methods, including a robotic sawmill invented by a UVA faculty team that includes MacDonald and Schumann. By addressing the challenges of working with irregular, non-standardized timber, the project aims to expand the use of urban wood in contemporary building practices.

Supported by the 4-VA initiative, the project reflects a broader commitment to institutional collaboration in Virginia. 4-VA is a partnership among nine public universities—UVA, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Military Institute, Christopher Newport University, William & Mary, and Radford University—designed to achieve outcomes beyond what any single institution can accomplish alone. Through its Collaborative Research program, 4-VA provides seed funding for faculty teams to pursue pilot research that can serve as a foundation for larger external grants.

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Left–right: image data from 3D-scanned log (2023) and robotic arm cutting irregular urban wood (2023). Courtesy of UVA Before Building Laboratory.

Within this framework, the UVA–JMU collaboration operates through complementary research and applied workflows. At UVA, the project focuses on developing and testing computational tools, material analysis methods, and robotic fabrication techniques. At JMU, the work is extended through community-based design-build practice, connecting technological experimentation with real-world construction and regional material systems. The teams will conduct parallel pilot efforts and share findings to evaluate how digital technologies can be integrated effectively into wood construction processes. 

The project will also create opportunities for student involvement at both institutions. Undergraduate students will participate as research assistants and through coursework, engaging directly in material testing, digital modeling, and construction. Building on a shared commitment to design-build education, the work extends hands-on learning that connects research, teaching, and practice.

The collaboration will culminate in the construction of prototype structures at UVA and JMU and a comparative analysis of different technological approaches. Findings will support future funding efforts and help establish new academic and industry partnerships. By advancing new methods for working with urban wood, the team aims to contribute to broader efforts to expand sustainable construction practices and strengthen regional innovation in design, fabrication, and material systems.

4-VA Team

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