Vol Walker Hall Renovation & The Steven L. Anderson Design Center

Architects: Marlon Blackwell Architects and Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects

Owner: Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design, University of Arkansas

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Category: Award of Excellence

Vol Walker Hall and the addition of the Steven L. Anderson Design Center for the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas is a complex but resolute hybrid of a historic restoration and a contemporary insertion and expansion.

Post-tensioned concrete and Indiana limestone honor the weight and substance of the historic, while the west-facing fritted glass brise-soleil and steel curtainwall create a contemporary figure. The overall design is a didactic model, establishing a tangible discourse between past and present, while providing state of the art facilities for 21st century architectural and design education.

"The project provides a beautiful, bold and respectful relationship to the original building both inside and out. There is refinement and consistency to the detailing and an intentional contrast between the new interventions and the historic renovation. This is a very disciplined approach to scale, shape and color consistency. The studios appear incredibly flexible with little wasted circulation space. We see activity everywhere!" ~ Jury comment

Additional information

Interior Design of Record: Marlon Blackwell Architects

Interior Design Associate: Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects

General contractor: Baldwin & Shell Construction Company

Structural Engineer: Kenneth Jones & Associates, Inc.

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection Engineer: TME, Inc.

Civil Engineer: Development Consultants, Inc.

Landscape Architect: Crafton Tull Sparks

Lighting Designer: Renfro Design Group

Geotechnical Consultant: Grubbs Hoskyn Barton & Wyatt, Inc

Preservation Consultant: John Milner Associates, Inc.

Concrete Consultant: Clarkson Consulting, Inc.

Acoustics and Daylighting Consultant: Dr. Tahar Messadi

Curtain Wall Consultant: Heitmann & Associates, Inc.

Accessibility Consultant: LCM Architects.

Construction Document Coordination Review Consultants: RediCheck North, LLC.

Jury

Karina Ruiz, AIA, (2016 Chair), DOWA-IBI Group Architects

Cristina C. Alvarez, Ed.D, Delaware Design Lab High School

Helena L. Jubany, FAIA, NAC/Architecture

Bruce Lindsey, Washington University in St. Louis

Zachary Neubauer, University of Portland

Steve Ziger, AIA, Ziger/Snead Architects

Image credits

Vol Walker Hall Renovation & The Steven L. Anderson Design Center

Tim Hursley

Vol Walker Hall Renovation & The Steven L. Anderson Design Center

Tim Hursley

Vol Walker Hall Renovation & The Steven L. Anderson Design Center

Tim Hursley

Vol Walker Hall Renovation & The Steven L. Anderson Design Center

Tim Hursley