PODCASTS > Arcat Detailed Podcast Episode

133: Vertical Fins | Heartland Whole Health Institue

1h 00m 46s |

In this episode, Cherise is joined by 2020 AIA Gold Medal recipient Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, Partner and Founder, and Meryati Blackwell, AIA, ASID, LEED AP, also a Partner at Marlon Blackwell Architects in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They discuss the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Located near the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, the new Heartland Whole Health Institute offers a space where wellness, creativity, and community come together. Opening in May 2025, the structure is shaped by the natural beauty of the Ozarks, with its flowing curves, native stone, and dramatic brise soleil or vertical fins echoing the region’s forested terrain and karst landscapes.

Photos/Drawings/Supplemental Info:

Project Photos: Timothy Hursley

Headshot: Mark Jackson

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, Partner/Founder, Marlon Blackwell Architects, marlon@marlonblackwell.com

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, is an internationally recognized architect who has created iconic and award-winning designs across typologies, scales, and budgets for over thirty years.

Honored with the 2020 Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects for his enduring impact on the theory and practice of architecture, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and original voices in design.

He is a lifetime member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a 2023 inductee of the American Academy of Arts and Science.

Equally respected as an educator, he has taught and lectured at universities nationwide throughout his career and is the E. Fay Jones Distinguished Professor at the University of Arkansas.

Work produced in his professional office, Marlon Blackwell Architects (MBA), has received recognition with significant publication and more than 200 design awards including the 2016 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture.

Heartland Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas

Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges (WHI/AB) is a ground-up building in Bentonville, Arkansas, near the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (CBMAA). The new building presents a generous space for well-being and health education. The curvilinear forms and native stone are inspired by the Ozark forest and karst topography of the region and respond to the sense of place at the Crystal Bridges campus. The openness of the building and direct access to the natural surroundings provide a nurturing environment to actively explore Whole Health.

The public are invited into the building at a generous dogtrot, which acts as a threshold to the flexible West Lawn and forest beyond. Upon entering, guests are able to explore an exhibit dedicated to whole health education or take part in public programs offered by the Institute. The upper levels are dedicated to office space for the Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges, an organization dedicated to place art in public spaces around the country. The materiality of the wood ceiling ties the interior spaces together, providing a cohesive feel across the buildingâs varied spaces. The building is set to officially open to the public in May of 2025.