Sustainable River-Recovered® Heart Pine is the focal point of the University of Florida’s world-class Otis Hawkins Center for Academic and Personal Excellence. Designed to support and enhance the academic experiences of the university’s athletes. The wood which adorns 10,000 square feet of ceiling and wall paneling was provided by the Goodwin Company, pioneers of the River-Recovered® process. Goodwin recovers antique logs from river bottoms, where they’ve been perfectly preserved for hundreds of years, and mills them into arguably the most beautiful and sustainable wood flooring and paneling in the world.

The University of Florida sits upon what was once a vast longleaf pine forest. Longleaf is Pinus Palustris- “pine of the swamp”. University of Florida ground services uses many native species when planting, and several of the new buildings on campus have added young longleaf pines into their landscapes. The incorporation of locally-sourced antique heart pine in the Hawkins Center is a nod to the legacy and shared history between the University of Florida and the ancient longleaf forests.

Goodwin collaborated with an exemplary team of professionals on the Otis Hawkins Center for Academic and Personal Excellence project, including Parrish McCall Constructors, D.R. Nicholson and Company, Beverly Frank formerly of Gould Evans Architects, and the staff of the University Athletic Association. Incorporating traditional wood to warm up contemporary spaces is trending. The Hawkins Center exemplifies the latest and greatest in modern design. We were pleased to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible building design team on this very exciting project.