From Utility Pad to Corporate Retreat: Commercial Timber Frame in Action

Once, this space was only concrete. A pad built to hold three hulking transformer machines. Bare walls framed the outline. It was a place for power, not for people.

But the team at Canopy imagined something different. They saw a place for gathering, eating, resting, talking. They called our Design Manager. The story began with a simple request: post-to-post, forty-three by forty-four.

Phase One: The First Pavilion

The first pavilion brought structure and permanence to a bare pad. Heavy exposed timbers stood in place of machinery. Roosevelt beam profiles and Classic style knee braces gave it rhythm and strength. The Dovetail Difference® held it all together — massive beams locking tight with engineered precision.

Drill For Power™ Integration

This Canopy Project pavilion includes Drill For Power™ posts, offering built-in electrical access while maintaining the beauty of exposed timber construction.

• Hidden Conduits: Posts are precision-drilled to conceal electrical wiring inside the timber.
• Outlet Ready: Provides convenient access points for outlets, lighting, and event equipment.
• Clean Aesthetic: Keeps the natural look of mass timber without visible cables or conduit.
• Flexible Use: Ideal for commercial spaces needing power for fans, lights, AV systems, or outdoor kitchens.

With Drill For Power™, the pavilion is both a striking example of commercial timber frame architecture and a fully functional gathering space ready for modern needs.

Phase Two: The Deck Beneath

After the pavilion was raised, the ground below it was transformed. A deck gave the structure purpose, converting the shaded area into a usable gathering place.

Specs for Deck:

• Material: Select composite decking
• Size: 5′ x 22′ footprint beneath pavilion
• Access: Four 5′-wide stairways for multiple entry points
• Flow: Deck connects directly to the tennis court above

What was once a cold slab became an environment where employees could sit, meet, and eat together.

Phase Three: The Outdoor Kitchen Pavilion

A year later, Canopy reached out again. The first pavilion had become a daily part of life. Employees gathered there often. The client wanted more.

This time the request was for an outdoor kitchen pavilion. What began as a single structure grew into a larger, multi-purpose environment.

Specs for Outdoor Kitchen Pavilion:

• Kitchen Build: Integrated outdoor kitchen
• Corbels: Custom timber corbels supporting countertops with furniture-grade detail
• Stonework: Stone cladding on the kitchen, then extended around the entire base
• Walls: Concrete walls capped for a polished finish
• Lattice Panels: Two lattice panels for airflow and design texture
• Cladding: Metal TimberClad® applied to posts and lattice frames
• Stain: Two-tone finish consistent with Pavilion One

The outdoor kitchen expanded the pavilion into a true hospitality space, reinforcing the role of timber as both structure and finish.

From Utility to Gathering Place

• Before: Three massive transformers, bare walls, no reason to stay.
• After: Two pavilions, stonework, lattice, capped walls, a deck underfoot, and an outdoor kitchen alive with detail.

The utility enclosure remains nearby, but it no longer defines the site. The focus is now on people, not machines.

Commercial Timber Frame Integration

This project demonstrates how timber can extend far beyond pavilions and outdoor living. Commercial timber frame means:

• Interior exposed timbers that carry structure and warmth through lobbies, atriums, and large-scale interiors.
• Exterior façades and entries designed with heavy timbers that extend architectural lines outward.
• Campus-wide cohesion, where the same language of timber used inside a building continues into courtyards, outdoor kitchens, and recreational spaces.
• Mass timber construction with scale and durability — beams and braces that stand as both engineering and design.

It is this consistency that creates spaces with presence — environments that feel intentional from inside to outside.

The lattice panels in this timber frame pavilion are more than decorative — they provide shade, airflow, and a subtle privacy screen without closing off the open feel of the space. Their design complements the exposed timber beams, adding both function and visual appeal.

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A Legacy of Expansion

What began as one pavilion became two. What began as a utility pad became a place for meals, conversation, and rest.

This is the strength of heavy timber. It is more than material. It is a way of building environments where people want to be.