Jason Wright

Fayetteville-based Modus Studio has landed a $258,000 grant to help develop a storm shelter prototype built with laminated wood. The architecture, interior and fabrication studio said in a news release that the funding will help it design a shelter that meets ICC 500 standards for a Federal Emergency Management Agency safe room. Jason Wright, a partner at the studio, said the project started as an Arkansas conversation. “We have the forests. We have the manufacturers. We have school districts required by code to build storm shelters,” he said. “If we can validate (cross-laminated timber) for this application here, it opens a responsible, scalable pathway not just for our state, but for tornado-prone communities across the country.” Modus has been designing FEMA-compliant safe rooms for Arkansas, and other multipurpose storm shelters across the U.S.