FROM THE PRESIDENT

More in ’24!

This was the rallying cry at the AIA Leadership Summit last month in Washington, D.C. More work, more fees and more advocacy for our profession. I think we can all get behind this idea!

 I was there representing all of us, along with our Vice President Todd Welch and Secretary Nate Deason as well as Kiara Gilmore, Katie Singleton, Tim Varner and Min Wui, representing our four sections.

Together with over 650 of our peers from all over the country, we met with our senators and representatives on Capitol Hill to ask them to act on a few issues that are of concern to all of us. The first is the Democracy in Design act, which if enacted will prevent the federal government from dictating which architectural style must be used for federal projects. Our position is that these are decisions that should be made by the architects and the stakeholders in the communities where these projects are located. The second is the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers, specifically a provision that would continue to allow tax deductions for research and development to be taken entirely in the year that the expenses are incurred. The third agenda item is a request to clarify that a 6 percent fee limit for “cost-plus-fixed-fee” contracts on federal A/E projects applies only to that specific type of contract.

Along with those members mentioned above, the remainder of your AIAAR Board of Directors and I were sworn in in January at our annual board retreat. This year we met in Wilson. I believe all involved enjoyed seeing and learning about a part of the state where some of us hadn’t spent much time. The retreat is our opportunity to welcome new board members and go over our goals for the year ahead.

I want to personally thank everyone who volunteers for AIA Arkansas and our leadership. It is a time commitment that really matters to all of us. Those serving on our Executive Committee know they have made a multi-year commitment to our organization that will culminate in acting as a past president.

Luckily, there are many other committees where you can serve, with much less of a time commitment. Examples of these committees include Emerging Professionals, the Young Architect’s Forum, Legislation, Membership, Diversity and, of course, our Convention Committee. The future of our organization is in your hands, so I encourage all of you to consider serving as an advocate for our profession.

Additional thanks are due to Brent Stevenson Associates. Brent and Jackie Strickland work hard to support our daily operations, and to facilitate our annual state convention.

This year our convention returns to Fort Smith for the first time in 20 years and will be held October 9-11. Nate Deason and the Convention Committee are already hard at work to make this year’s convention a success, and we hope to see all of you there.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Rich Brya, AIA

AIA Arkansas President

BRYArchitecture

Every year, AIA Arkansas recognizes members, individuals, and organizations that exemplify the pursuit of the Chapter’s mission.

The categories of nominations are:

• Fay Jones Gold Medal Award
• Dick Savage Memorial Award
• Emerging Professional Award
• Award of Merit
• Diversity Award
• Michael Lejong Leadership Award

For information about each category or to view a list of past recipients, visit AIAAR Chapter Awards.

Nomination Procedures: All current members of AIA Arkansas are invited to submit nominations for the 2024 Chapter Awards. There is no limit to how many years an eligible nominee may be submitted for an award; however, a recipient may receive a specific award only once.

• Submission deadline is Friday, April 26, 2024
• Awards will be conferred at the annual Design Awards Celebration scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024 in Fort Smith.

Nominator Responsibilities: Nominations should clearly demonstrate how the nominee's sustained efforts, exceptional achievements, and significant contributions over an extended period, meet the purpose and criteria of the specific award and elucidate the nominee's impact on the community and/or the profession of architecture. 

MEMBER NEWS

Cromwell Architects Engineers

Establishes Endowed Scholarships

Dan Fowler, left, is president of Cromwell Architects Engineers, and Greg Cockmon CEO.

Cromwell Architects Engineers has contributed $100,000 to create two endowed scholarships that will benefit Arkansas students studying in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas. The scholarships will be called the Cromwell Architects Engineers Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Architecture and the Cromwell Architects Engineers Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Engineering. In addition to the scholarship funds to help with education costs, this gift provides the opportunity for the selected students to work a minimum of one summer in a paid internship at either the firm’s Springdale or Little Rock location.

“Academic success, affordability and career readiness are cornerstones of our land-grant mission of service to our students and our state,” U of A Chancellor Charles Robinson said. “Cromwell Architects Engineers’ support will help advance that mission for years to come. We are grateful for their generosity and thrilled about the impact these scholarships and internships will make in the lives of our students and throughout the state.”

Dan Fowler, president of Cromwell, said that since its founding in 1885, the company has been a significant contributor to the development of the state. That’s something they intend to continue – and one way is this targeted effort to support the development of a talented workforce in the state and to retain U of A graduates as part of that workforce. That’s something Cromwell values, as 47% of their employees are U of A System graduates. “We want to make sure that we’re giving the graduates the visibility of the building industry and the opportunities to do some amazing work here in Arkansas – and that they stay here for their careers,” Fowler said. Fowler, who graduated from the U of A in 1997 with a Bachelor of Architecture, started working at Cromwell as an intern at age 19. The Little Rock native continued to return as an intern throughout his architectural education, and then joined the firm full time after graduation.

Fowler said his internship experience at Cromwell gave him a deeper and more realistic view of professional practice while he was still in school, and the knowledge he gained enhanced his academic studies. “It had a massive impact on my education and on my career trajectory as well,” Fowler said, “but I think probably most importantly on my education because it allowed me to take practical applications of what I was learning and bring it back to my classes and start to really investigate things from a practical perspective as well as theoretical perspective.” CEO Greg Cockmon has spent his entire professional career at Cromwell since graduating in 1989 with a Bachelor of Architecture from the U of A. Cockmon said that, while the firm has long had close ties with the Fay Jones School – among those, sponsoring lectures in the school’s annual lecture series – that hasn’t been the case with the College of Engineering. “We’re excited to do that with the engineering side as well,” Cockmon said. “Engineers have a lot of different paths they can take. What we do is not necessarily a major focus. So, if we can have an impact at least in getting the students to understand what we do for vertical building design and horizontal building design, I think that’s exciting.”

By investing in the scholarships and internships – and planting the seeds for change – the firm is committed to helping to grow the talent within the state and to funneling those graduates into jobs in the state. “Like a lot of places, there are massive labor shortages in our industry,” Fowler said. “We’re not able to hire people fast enough frankly. We want to make sure there’s access, there’s visibility, there’s people understanding what it is that we do. Supporting the students, in both architecture and engineering, I think is the path to do that long term.” 

The firm has a range of areas within which interns can work, such as architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering specialties, as well as interior designers, construction administrators and energy and facility services. “We can give an individual all of that experience, all in one location, when they come to see us,” Cockmon said. With their headquarters in Little Rock, an office in downtown Springdale and their Germany office, Cromwell serves clients and communities across the state, country and world.

WER Architects Names Fason CEO

WER Architects is pleased to announce Russell Fason, AIA, LEED AP, has been named CEO of the firm. He has been an integral part of WER Architects since 2004. A partner since 2015, leading design, sustainability and client service, building on WER’s core values. Russell succeeds David Sargent, AIA, LEED AP, as part of the ongoing strategic succession plan that has kept WER Architects at the forefront of Arkansas design firms for the last 45 years. David, who has helped to thoughtfully grow WER Architects to what it is today during his 38 years, will remain in the role of principal and president.

“I feel honored to continue the legacy that the principals before me have shaped. I’ve been lucky enough to overlap with all of the original partners that founded WER and brought it to where it is today,” Russell said. “WER is committed to designing beautiful, functional buildings, enriching the communities we live and work in across the state. I’m excited to lead us into our 46th year. I hope that when my tenure is up, the principals who follow find a more inclusive, diverse and more accessible profession, still focusing on how thoughtful design improves our lives.”

In his 20-plus years of experience, Russell has been a steady guiding hand on some of our most significant projects, including the Windgate Center of Art and Design at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences at the University of Arkansas, the design and construction of six new K-12 schools for the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District, Sylvan Hills High School, Midtown Medical Plaza and Premier Medical Plaza. We are thrilled to have Russ’ leadership as we look forward to the next 45 years.

“I’m excited about the future of WER Architects. Our team of architects and designers, with the six new principals we have promoted over the last two years, bring innovative ideas and ways to think about design, the workplace and the profession. I am looking forward to working alongside this group in the years ahead,” Russ said. “I believe that beautiful, efficient, purposeful buildings elevate the human spirit. It’s what we strive for in every project.” 

WDD Architects Names

Martin and Tyson Principals

WDD Architects is pleased to announce Nate Martin, AIA, and Caleb Tyson, AIA, as principals.

Nate has been practicing architecture for nearly 15 years after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Maryland in 2009. After moving to Denver, Colo., in 2011 Nate received his M. Arch from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2014. In 2016, Nate had the opportunity to relocate to Arkansas with his family and join WDD Architects. At WDD, Nate made an immediate impact on K-12 projects for the Pulaski County Special School District and Springdale Public Schools, where he led the design process for phase two of the Don Tyson School of Innovation.

This was followed by the Jim Rollins Elementary School of Innovation for Springdale Public Schools, which recently won the 2023 Arkansas AIA "People’s Choice Award." Nate’s depth of experience across all phases of a project enables him to guide clients from initial programming meetings, through the design process to a completed building. Projects currently underway include the new Southwest Junior High School in Springdale, and an expansion to the Bogle Park softball facility at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Caleb joined WDD in 2014 after graduating from University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture. He immediately excelled in his attention to detail and understanding of complex building systems. He soon held an integral role in many of the firm’s more complex and technical projects, specifically in healthcare design.

Caleb managed major aspects of the award-winning Arkansas Heart Hospital: Encore Medical Center in Saline County, was the project architect on all the Pain Treatment Centers of America prototypes and was the lead architect on the UAMS Radiology Oncology Center – the state’s first-ever proton therapy facility. He is currently working on MUSiC Lab, a state-of-the-art multi-user silicon carbide chip manufacturing facility at the University of Arkansas's Engineer Research Campus at Fayetteville.

CALL FOR ALLIED PRESENTATION PROPOSALS FOR THE 2024 STATE CONVENTION

AIA Arkansas is now accepting proposals from our Allied members for presentations at the 2024 AIA Arkansas State Convention in Hot Springs, AR. Only current AIA Arkansas Allied Members are eligible to submit presentations. Companies that are not current members will not be reviewed by the convention committee. Visit www.aiaar.org to submit your presentation by the deadline.

2024 ATC-20 & CAL OES COURSES

Use the links below for more information on each course or visit https://www.dps.arkansas.gov/emergency-management/adem/training-exercise/training/earthquake-training/

April 18, 2024 | Fayetteville

CALS OES

June 11, 2024 | Little Rock

ATC-20 Post-Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings

Sept 17, 2024 | Russellville

CAL OES

Nov 14, 2024 | West Memphis

ATC-20 Post-Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Buildings

Large Commercial & Industrial Program

The Large Commercial & Industrial Program is offered to commercial and industrial customers of Entergy Arkansas. The program helps facility supervisors understand the technical and financial benefits of investing in energy efficiency upgrades and provides financial incentives for qualifying projects.

Entergy Arkansas New Construction Incentives

For new construction projects, few investments pay off more than energy efficiency. Not only is it affordable and enhances the work environment, but high-performance buildings can improve air quality and lessen your impact on the environment.

Too often, energy efficiency is the first casualty of a value-engineered building. While these buildings can come with lower initial price tags, the short-term savings are often far outweighed by increased energy and maintenance costs. In fact, a certified high-performance building is valued 4% higher per square foot.*

*Source: McGraw Hill Construction

Anthony Timberlands Center

Honored at World Festival

The Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the U of A received three international honors from the World Architecture Festival 2023.

The Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation at the U of A has received three international honors from the World Architecture Festival 2023. The project won the 2023 Visualization Prize, sponsored by Lumion, received a "Highly Commended" citation in the Future Projects - Education category and was one of eight projects to receive a WAFX award in the Building Technology category. 

The World Architecture Festival is the largest global awards program and conference dedicated to sharing and celebrating the latest architectural achievements. It is the only awards program where all finalists present their projects live to a panel of judges at the festival. The festival saw almost 500 award finalists across more than 50 categories. The Anthony Timberlands Center was one of only a handful of projects nominated from North America at the festival, held late last year in Singapore.

The WAFX award heralds the world's most forward-looking architectural concepts and is awarded to future projects that identify key challenges that architects will need to address in the coming years. The new research center, part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, is under construction in the university's Art and Design District on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in south Fayetteville. It has been designed by Grafton Architects of Dublin, Ireland, with Fayetteville-based Modus Studio. The center will focus on the research and development of new wood products and new approaches in sustainable construction materials. The building serves as a model of mass timber and wood product construction, with its eventual role being to educate and inspire design students in the ways wood can be used in construction while supporting the timber industry in Arkansas.

Fay Jones School Awards

Inaugural Legacy Medals

In recognition of what would have been the 103rd birthday of its namesake, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design hosted special events on Jan. 31, including honoring David McKee, AIA, a Fayetteville-based architect, and David Salmela, AIA, a Minnesota-based architect, as the inaugural recipients of the Fay Jones School Legacy Medal in Architecture. This award was conceived to honor and extend the legacy of the school’s namesake, E. Fay Jones, and his work in Arkansas, the United States and internationally.

“Fay Jones’ life was characterized by a spirit of generosity, a dedication to the place and people of his upbringing, deep relationships with his clients and their commissions, and a commitment to the practice and discipline of architecture,” Peter MacKeith, dean of the school, said. “In identifying inaugural recipients for the Fay Jones School Legacy Medals, we sought architects practicing within Arkansas and outside the state whose careers and body of work resonate with these aspects of Fay Jones’ life and work. Each in their own way, the work of both David Salmela and David McKee resonates and sustains the Fay Jones legacy.”

McKee brings a broad and unique experience to the practice of architecture. While completing a B.F.A. at the U of A in the early 1970s, he worked in construction as a mason and carpenter. Upon completing his Bachelor of Architecture in 1982, McKee was asked to join the firm of Fay Jones and Associates – one of the premier firms in the region, if not the entire country, at the time. Following Jones’ retirement in 1997, the firm of Maurice Jennings + David McKee was established. In 2006, David initiated his own firm, which has continued to approach each project with enthusiasm and creativity. David McKee Architect PLLC focuses on both preservation and restoration of residences as well as unique commercial properties often involving projects that were originally designed by Fay Jones. The firm’s new build designs evoke mid-century modern, minimalist and industrial influences. 

Salmela is a self-taught architect. Since growing up on a dairy farm in Central Minnesota, he has spent his life discovering design opportunities within the cultures and landscapes of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. His company, Salmela Architect, has focused on projects that transform the region. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, his prolific career spans nearly 50 years comprising well over 200 projects and over 80 regional, national and international awards, including numerous national American Institute of Architects Awards, 30 regional AIA Awards and the AIA Minnesota Gold Medal. David’s work is greatly influenced by his Finnish roots, in particular the work of Alvar Aalto. His projects reflect a keen awareness of natural light, a sensitivity to the natural environment and the use of design to achieve an economy of means. He is equally influenced by his upbringing on a farm, where he learned about the relationship of buildings to the landscape, and the relationship of form, function and expression.  

Program Receives Eight-Year

Reaccreditation From Board

The professional Bachelor of Architecture program in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas recently was granted an eight-year term of reaccreditation by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. "The University of Arkansas' Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is clearly a significant asset to not only the state of Arkansas but the architecture community as a whole," the visiting team stated in its summary. "During our visit, the team was able to meet with many of the program's students, faculty and staff, and gained a great appreciation for the efforts that have gone into creating a well-rounded and versed architectural education.

“It was well received that the program offers a strong focus on preparing its students for the post-graduate experience and entering the workforce. The program and college's commitment to improving the equity, diversity and inclusion of the program … was appreciated," the visiting team stated. "In addition, the program's focus on environmental sustainability, particularly its focus on local and regional materials and issues such as mass timber, are commendable."

This diagram of work from the course UDBS AR Home Lab: Street Legal depicts the workforce housing prototype as it might appear on an infill site in Northwest Arkansas. Rendering Courtesy of John Folan.

Course Recognized With 2023 Timber Education Prize

A studio course by two U of A faculty members was recently recognized as one of five 2023 Timber Education Prize winners. The prize is awarded through the Softwood Lumber Board and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. UDBS AR Home Lab: Street Legal, an advanced studio in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, was taught during the spring 2023 semester by John Folan, professor and department head of architecture, and Candice Adams, teaching assistant professor of architecture, through the school's Urban Design Build Studio. It was the fourth in a series of sequential courses researching affordable housing options within Arkansas and across the country. Students in the studios researched the affordable housing issue and engaged with community members and local organizations to consider social and economic realities as fundamental components of their design process.

"Congratulations to John Folan, Candi Adams and all others who participated in the formation of the pedagogy leading to this national prize-winning studio sequence," Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School, said. "The recognition validates our work as a leading school in innovative curricula and validates our position in the nation as a leading school in low-carbon design futures. The work of the UDBS under professor Folan's leadership has been extraordinary, and the impact of that work has been evident both locally and now nationally." The ACSA awards the Timber Education Prize to courses that create a stimulating and evidence-based environment for learning about timber. The winning courses equip students with the knowledge and design skills to achieve green building goals in a range of project types.

WELCOME NEW ALLIED MEMBERS

What You Need to Know About Beneficial Ownership

Information Reporting

All Weather Insulated Metal Panels

Anderson Murphy Hopkins

Antique Brick & Block

Bell & McCoy

Clark Contractors

Elite Masonry Staining

Engineering Consultants

Entegrity

GreenLight 360

Hahn Enterprises

Halff

Henderson Engineers

JE Allen Co

Landmark CPAs

Little Sales Group 

Lightspeed Technologies

Lunday & Associates

LS Reps

Minick Materials

MISSCO

Olsson

Southwest Terrazo Association

Specified Technologies

Sto Corp

Virginia Tile Company

Walco Building Products

Woodworks-Wood Products Council