Committee on Design

Connecting Cultures, Catalyzing Change

AIA COD’s first Conference on Design of 2024 in Northwest Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains was held April 3 to 7, 2024.  Entrepreneurship, culture and Ozarks hospitality have been historic drivers for growth in the region; now design excellence is also a key catalyst. This area of the Ozarks is exceptional, in that it is home to two AIA Gold Medal Award recipients--E. Fay Jones, FAIA (1990) and Marlon Blackwell, FAIA (2020)—along with recent work by Gold Medalist, Carol Ross Barney, FAIA (2023).

Our four-day conference program highlighted these and other award-winning architects in Bentonville, Eureka Springs, Fayetteville, Rogers, and Springdale. We explored the role of design in modern landscapes, historic mountain towns, and experience groundbreaking projects including AIA 25-year Award Thorncrown Chapel and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art /The Momentary.  Civic leaders, designers and clients will lead us through prominent projects of the Walton Family Foundation NWA Design Excellence Program, such as Railyard Park, TheatreSquared, Thaden School, and recently completed Springdale Municipal Campus.

See the conference video, program guide and key takeaways.