BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walton Family Foundation is looking for design professionals through its Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program to help build a more vibrant and inclusive region. Over the past 25 years, the Northwest Arkansas population has more than doubled to nearly 535,000 people.
The Walton Family Foundation started the Design Excellence Program in 2015 in order to address potential planning challenges associated with the growth in Northwest Arkansas. The foundation strives to promote the highest level of design in the development of future public buildings and spaces.
The program is focusing its search on architects and firms experienced in inclusive public engagement, innovative neighborhood-scale projects, or mixed-income and missing middle housing.
According to a Gehl report, the Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program has helped balance authenticity with world-class design, created places for community connection expanded access to arts and culture, exhibited the highest standards of sustainable design, elevated the profile of the region, and revitalized local economies.
The Design Excellence Program chooses professionals and projects based on four key principles:
- A commitment to strengthening public life
- Elevating standards of sustainability and resilience
- Celebrating local cultures and places
- Building regional capacity
The program is designed to accommodate nationally recognized, multi-disciplinary firms, smaller specialty firms, and young designers who may not yet be discovered.
Designers can participate for up to five years if selected, or until they are chosen for a project. As of now, the program has nearly 50 architecture and landscape architecture firms from 14 states, Canada and Denmark.
The foundation’s Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program is accepting applications at waltonfamilyfoundation.org/design through Oct. 1.
