When a dying oak tree in the Brooks Hall courtyard had to be taken down, Audrey Barnes ’03 decided to give it new life. 

“I joke that I need sawdust for survival,” said Barnes, head of the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design. “When I saw they were taking a tree down in the center of the College of Design, I said, ‘Can I have that tree?’”

Barnes partnered with David Hill, head of the School of Architecture, the Sustainability Office and the College of Natural Resources to prepare the tree for use. The process of milling, air drying and kiln drying the wood took about a year. In spring 2026, the tree was ready to begin its next chapter. Barnes introduced the inaugural Circularity and Narrative: Stories in Urban Wood course, where she challenged students to build something out of the oak tree, incorporating the concepts of circularity and narrative. 

“My heart is focused on ideas of circularity — designing cradle-to-cradle versus cradle-to-grave,” Barnes said. “And thinking not only about the sustainability of the materials, but the sustainability of end of life, when products are no longer useful in their current context.”

The urban wood course included three components. Students began by researching the history of the tree and the College of Design — the tree stood adjacent to Brooks Hall for the entirety of the college’s 75-year history — and writing a narrative based on their findings. 

“Their narratives explore the ways in which the tree might have experienced moments in history — design movements, maybe even social or political movements — throughout its lifetime,” Barnes said.

Students welcomed the chance to tap into different sides of their creativity.

“I used to write songs more. I used to write more in general, but as life gets crazy and fast, I have done less of that,” said Lindsey Dotson ’22, a student working toward her master’s in industrial design who took the course. “Bringing that back into my life has been really fun.”

Then, Barnes had students write personal design manifestos. 

“I wanted them to think about their design principles specifically for circularity and sustainability,” she said. “You very rarely get to design in a way that’s completely unencumbered by commercial influence, but if you got to, what would it be?”

The final component involved each student designing an artifact inspired by their narrative and personal design manifesto, with the course culminating in an exhibition. 

Dotson sees the value in incorporating circularity into her work. Prior to returning to NC State for graduate school, Dotson worked for a commercial playground manufacturer. 

“What’s going to happen in 50-100 years to all those playgrounds I designed out of powder-coated steel and plastics? That pulled on my heartstrings,” she said. “Designers can make a difference in how they design their products and have an end-of-life-plan for them. I’m excited to learn more about it and prove that it’s possible.”

Circularity is something Barnes hopes to ingrain in her students — and into NC State’s culture. 

“Infusing the future generation with some of this knowledge and letting them build their own design philosophy is my way of being more sustainable,” Barnes said.

She hopes to continue offering the urban wood course, but she doesn’t plan to stop there. Barnes’ vision is to create a robust urban wood system at NC State, and she’s working with partners across campus to make it happen.

“We’re a land-grant institution. What a model of sustainability it would be if some of the things we’re building come from our own land,” she said. “Imagine if people could purchase lumber from a tree milled at NC State and then utilize that for furniture-making or architectural installation? There’s all kinds of ways you could use that material. And it would come with a connection to history and a reverence for place.”

The idea is already starting to take root. 

“It’s funny, because now, every time a tree gets taken down across campus, I get an email about it,” Barnes said.