Alumni Design Awards

2024 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards

Any architecture, landscape architecture or interior design graduate of the University of Arkansas may submit projects for the 2024 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards. Awards for winning designs will be presented via an awards celebration in December. These projects will be featured in our alumni magazine, on this website and through social media. Submissions must be anonymous

All design work is eligible for the alumni design awards competition — architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, urban planning, historic preservation/adaptive reuse, industrial design, furniture and product design, set design, etc. Work must have been designed or built in 2019 or later.

In 2020, we introduced a new design award category: Public Good in the Cause of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Details are below and on the competition entry forms.
We also introduced the Award for Excellence in Outreach and Service in the Cause of Diversity and Inclusion, which recognizes an individual or organization for work done in the community. Nominations for this award, including self-nominations, may be made directly to Dean Peter MacKeith at mackeith@uark.edu. Send a nomination letter and a one-page description of the nominee's activity and impact. Also, please provide names and contact information of two references.  

Potential project types for alumni design awards entries:

  • architecture
  • interior design
  • landscape architecture
  • regional/urban design
  • preservation design/adaptive reuse
  • public good in the cause of diversity, equity and inclusion *
  • visual studies (photography/drawing)
  • product/furniture design
  • virtual constructions
  • exhibition design 
  • unbuilt projects

* Newest category: In 2020, we introduced a new design category: Public Good in the Cause of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This award aims to celebrate and encourage projects that engage with minoritized and/or low-income communities through the design and building of architecture, interiors and/or landscapes that mitigate deficits and inequalities in housing, education, culture, health, other public services, public and/or community spaces, landscapes and/or infrastructure. These projects may be private, public, NGO or community driven projects. These projects also should have had a community-engaged, participatory design/planning component in addition to measurable indicators of their impact. Also included in this category are pro-bono projects with a social impact. (And, projects entered in this category may be entered in other categories in the awards program.)

Submission criteria:

Projects to be considered in the competition must have been designed or built by 2019 or later.

Each project submitted must include:

  • Project entry file (PDF)
  • Information file (PDF)
  • Media image of project for publicity (maximum 2 MB JPG)

For each entry, you'll need to complete and prepare two PDF files. Download both the 2024 project entry form template and project info form template. Please note that additional PDF pages showing images and other visuals will need to be added to the project entry file, providing a portfolio of the project.

Label entries in the following format: 
PROJECT NAME_ENTRY
PROJECT NAME_INFO

Next, upload your PDF files (two per project) and your media image online at: https://fjsoa.wufoo.com/forms/2024-fay-jones-school-alumni-design-awards-entry/

Please note that the project info form must be saved separately, and it will not be seen by the jury members. 

Pay the fee of $50 per entry on the U of A's eCommerce site at: https://commerce.cashnet.com/UARKARDO?itemcode=ARDO-ALUMSUB. Make sure to include the identifying project name when you pay the entry fee. Each project submitted will be paid for separately through the payment portal. 

Deadline:

Entries must be submitted online no later than Sept. 13, 2024.

Contact

Michelle Parks
Director of Communications

479/575-4704
mparks17@uark.edu

Sequitur WineryArt Institute of Chicago Ryan Learning CenterCentennial Park PavilionCenterton City Hall City of Pacific Visitor Center Powhatan Methodist Church Powhatan Methodist ChurchWindgate Studio and Design Center

Sequitur Winery

Sequitur Winery received an Honor Award in Architecture in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Jeremy Bittermann.

Art Institute of Chicago Ryan Learning Center

Art Institute of Chicago Ryan Learning Center Renovation received a Merit Award in Interior Design in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Kendall McCaugherty.

Centennial Park Pavilion

Centennial Park Pavilion received a Merit Award in Architecture in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Timothy Hursley.

Centerton City Hall

Centerton City Hall received a Merit Award in Architecture in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Timothy Hursley.

City of Pacific Visitor Center

City of Pacific Visitor Center received a Merit Award in Historic Preservation/Adaptive Reuse in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Sam Fentress.

Powhatan Methodist Church Powhatan Methodist Church

Powhatan Methodist Church received a Merit Award in Historic Preservation in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Mason Ellis.

Windgate Studio and Design Center

Windgate Studio and Design Center received a Merit Award in Architecture in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards program. Photo by Dero Sanford.

Adohi HallBlackstone Visitors CenterThe MomentaryOlivewood Gardens, Greenbuild Legacy ProjecteSTEM East Village

Adohi Hall

Adohi Hall at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville won an Honor Award in the Architecture category and a Merit Award in the Landscape Architecture category during the Fay Jones School’s 2020 Alumni Design Awards Competition.

Blackstone Visitors Center

The Blackstone Visitors Center in Worcester, Massachusetts won an Honor Award in the Architecture category and an Honorable Mention in the Regional/Urban Design category during the Fay Jones School’s 2020 Alumni Design Awards Competition.

The Momentary

The Momentary in Bentonville won an Honor Award in the Architecture category during the Fay Jones School’s 2020 Alumni Design Awards Competition.

Olivewood Gardens, Greenbuild Legacy Project

Olivewood Gardens, Greenbuild Legacy Project in National City, California, won an Honor Award in the Unbuilt category during the Fay Jones School’s 2020 Alumni Design Awards Competition.

eSTEM East Village

The eSTEM East Village in Little Rock won an Honor Award in the Interior Design category during the Fay Jones School’s 2020 Alumni Design Awards Competition.

2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Award Winners

Designs for community, educational, medical, historical, cultural, tourism, artistic, residential, religious, hospitality, industrial, corporate and governmental spaces, as well as urban planning and landscape design projects, were among 46 projects vying for recognition in the 2023 Fay Jones School Alumni Design Awards competition.

Entries came from Fay Jones School alumni practicing in cities around the state of Arkansas, as well as in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, D.C. and Bolivia. An eight-member jury chose 13 projects for accolades — resulting in one Honor Award, six Merit Awards and six Citation Awards.

The alumni design awards were announced and presented during the school’s Winter Fest Reception and Alumni Recognition Ceremony, held Dec. 14 in Vol Walker Hall on the university campus.

Christopher Brown (B.Arch. '04) won an Honor Award in Architecture for Sequitur Winery in Newberg, Oregon. Brown is with Linden, Brown Architecture in Portland, Oregon. The project converted a dairy farm into a vibrant, working vineyard by restoring a heavy timber barn and adding several new structures. The original dairy barn, constructed in 1937 from fir and cedar trees felled on site, was restored and elevated by 3 feet. New surrounding structures were also made from timber felled, milled, graded and assembled on-site. The interior of the new tasting room is a warm and intimate space finished in wood reclaimed from original farm buildings. The site strategy allows the public to interact with a working farm and operations that extend beyond wine production. The campus of buildings built around the original heavy timber barn expands the legacy of a historic dairy farm, using its natural resources to create a sustainable future as a winery.

"Beautiful connection of interior and exterior space, and how the building materials work within the context of the historic structures and landscape," the jury said. "The design shows sensitivity to the surrounding landscape, with appropriate material considerations that blend in with the environment."

Calli Verkamp (B.Arch. '13) won a Merit Award in Interior Design for the renovation of the Ryan Learning Center at the Art Institute of Chicago. Verkamp is with Wheeler Kearns Architects in Chicago. Located within the iconic Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Ryan Learning Center (RLC) was adapted to accommodate its evolving programming and needs. The design entails simple, strategic alterations to open the Art Exchange, a new accessible space that invites learners of all ages to take part in creative activities.

"Clearly organized, the project honors the integrity of the original Renzo Piano Workshop Building," the jury said. "We appreciate the simple and clear planning in the project, and the use of custom millwork to make thoughtful and inviting spaces."

Chris M. Baribeau (B.Arch. '03) and Michael Pope (B.Arch. '10) won a Merit Award in Architecture for the Centennial Park Pavilion in Fayetteville. The design team is with Modus Studio in Fayetteville. The pavilion transforms a basic restroom into a versatile hub, vital for bike race events and emblematic of the park's agricultural heritage. The design is influenced by the rich history of the Northwest Arkansas site as former agricultural land once occupied by chicken houses. Sunlight filters through open joint cladding, reminiscent of an old barn and adding a sense of agrarian allure to the structure.

The jury said the pavilion was "diagrammed and communicated beautifully," and they appreciated "the elegant, clear expression of the structure. The interesting formal exploration reinforces the wood systems employed."

Chris M. Baribeau (B.Arch. '03), Josh Siebert (B.Arch. '02), Matt Poe (B.Arch. '12), Shane Maloney (B.Arch. '16), Sarah McElroy (B.Arch. '01) and Elisha Taldo Cantrell (B.I.D. '06) won a Merit Award in Architecture for the Centerton City Hall in Centerton. The design team is with Modus Studio in Fayetteville. The Centerton City Hall complex showcases forward-thinking design, detaching a courthouse and city hall to create a central courtyard for community and employee interaction.

"It is great to see a modern language for such a prominent civic building in an Arkansas town," the jury said. "The design team did a nice job of bringing visual interest to the interiors on a low budget."

Tony A. Patterson (B.Arch. '00) and Jason M. Ward (B.Arch. '97) won a Merit Award in Historic Preservation/Adaptive Reuse for the City of Pacific Visitor Center in Pacific, Missouri. The design team is with Patterhn Ives LLC in St. Louis. Adaptive reuse of the historic Red Cedar Inn Restaurant into a vibrant new Visitor Center for the City of Pacific weaves together past, present and future. The fully restored and revitalized visitor center serves as a welcoming community hub and anticipates future trail connections, becoming a new "Doorway to the Ozarks" along Route 66.

The jury described this project as an exemplary example of historic preservation and said they valued the clear and elegant diagrams.

"We appreciate the attention to detail and craft in the restoration of the historic structure and how the new addition doesn't try to take on the language of the historic building, but instead compliments it," the jury said.

Mason Ellis (B.Arch. '06) won a Merit Award in Historic Preservation for Powhatan Methodist Church in Powhatan. Ellis is with WER Architects in Little Rock. The restoration took place over several years, but the largest portion occurred in 2022 to add an ADA entrance and renovate the interior. Many original pieces were restored with period-appropriate hardware installed. New wood shutters were designed based on historic photographs, and shutter hardware was installed to match the dimensions of the original mortised frames. To improve ADA accessibility, an existing window at the rear of the building was modified to create a "jib" door that allows someone in a wheelchair to enter the sanctuary.

"This project highlights important work on underappreciated structures," the jury said. "The restoration stays true to the historic character, down to recreating a chandelier and installing an ADA ramp that integrates well with the architecture."

Travis Bartlett (B.Arch. '95), Galen Hunter (B.Arch. '83), Timothy Varner (B.Arch. '15), Christopher Galindo (B.Arch. '19), Arlin Vancuren (B.L.A. '83), Stephen Gaulin (B.L.A. '12), Katie Breshears (B.Arch. '02) and Meredith Hendricks (B.Arch. '02) won a Merit Award in Architecture for Windgate Studio and Design Center in Fayetteville. The design team is with MAHG Architecture in Fort Smith. The building forms a gateway to the university's Art and Design District. The exterior is sculpted to interact with light and to create moments of transition, blurring the distinction between community, campus and the School of Art. In both building and landscape, stairways animate the experience and encourage connection. Open, internal stairs wind upward toward workspaces and arrive at terraces acting as social spaces overlooking the district, city and the surrounding landscape.

"We appreciate how the building uses sections to create connections between the various studio, gallery and interior social spaces," the jury said.

Andrew Arkell (B.Arch. '12) won a Citation Award in Public Good in the Cause of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Brookwood at Antioch in Kansas City, Missouri. Arkell is with LBBA in Chicago.

Mark Weaver, FAIA, (B.Arch. '82) and Joshua D. Love (B.Arch. '16) won a Citation Award in Historic Preservation/Interior Design for Caption by Hyatt Beale Street Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. The design team is with HBG Design in Memphis, Tennessee.

Brett Budolfson (B.L.A. '01) won a Citation Award in Landscape Architecture for Fayetteville Traverse in Fayetteville. Budolfson is with Progressive Trail Design in Fayetteville.

Thomas Boyster (B.Arch. '15) won a Citation Award in Architecture/Public Good in the Cause of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Granor Greenhouse in Three Oaks, Michigan. Boyster is with Wheeler Kearns Architects in Chicago.

Leah Hales (B.L.A. '94) won a Citation Award in Planning/Landscape Architecture for Hensley Field Master Planning in Dallas. Hales is with SWA Group in Dallas.

Laura Cochran (B.Arch. '16) won a Citation Award in Architecture for Two Gables in Glencoe, Illinois. Cochran is with Wheeler Kearns Architects in Chicago.