Leers Weinzapfel’s Nearly All-Wood Preschool Brings Nature to Play

“We were inspired by the preschool’s nature-based learning and the fact that the forest preserve is the teacher,” says architect Tom Chung, the lead principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates overseeing the design and construction of the Environmental Education Building. A nearly all-wood, locally sourced structure was a fittingly natural solution for one of Alabama’s first nature preschools.

Located within the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center—a 120-acre forest managed by Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment—and founded in 2019, the preschool is part of a growing movement that uses the natural world as a foundation for early childhood education. The architecture itself becomes part of the lesson—rising gently beneath the forest canopy and extending the network of woodland trails that are part of the daily rhythm of learning and play. “As you move through the building, you’re never forgetting where you are—there’s always daylight, fresh air, and a view of the forest,” Chung says. “The building doesn’t have a single main entry—it connects trail to trail. It’s really an extension of the preserve itself. For the children, that movement—from porch to classroom to forest—is part of the learning. The transition from outdoors to indoors and back again feels seamless, and wherever you are, you always have a view of the surrounding nature itself.”

Set near the front of the preserve for easy drop-off and public visibility, the building rests gently on a flat, previously disturbed parcel—chosen to avoid encroaching on the surrounding forest. “We wanted a design that disturbed the ground the least,” Chung says. “Instead of embedding the building in a slope or pouring a slab on grade, we lifted it slightly above the site’s terrain.” Simple concrete footings and glulam beams replaced a traditional foundation, minimizing excavation and carbon-intensive materials while keeping the preschool universally accessible.

“We aimed to make everything as local as possible to minimize carbon, support the local economy, and tell a story about what can be achieved with Alabama wood products. About 95% of materials were produced in-state within 150 miles,” Chung says. The open, airy, light-filled preschool is constructed using a hybrid mass-timber and light-frame structure—glulam columns and beams for vertical and floor framing and cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels for the roof and shear walls, complemented by wood-frame infill. Standard dimensional pine lumber was used strategically in floor infill and service walls to integrate plumbing, wiring, and sinks without cluttering exposed mass timber surfaces.

A soaring butterfly roof showcases the two-way spanning strength of CLT while subtly echoing the preserve’s logo—a butterfly symbolizing transformation and harmony with nature. Point-supported on glulam columns without intermediate beams, the twin roof planes lift toward the forest canopy, drawing in daylight and views while allowing hot air to escape through clerestory vents. The result is both practical and expressive: a form that enhances building functions while reinforcing the preschool’s nature-based learning mission. The exterior, clad in insect-resistant eastern red cedar, is finished in a two-tone stain that blends with the forest while highlighting the floating roofline. Generous overhangs and shaded porches protect the wood and expand learning spaces into the landscape.