Twenty-five architecture and design firms proposed affordable housing concepts for Northwest Arkansas in a competition hosted by the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. kdA’s design was selected as a winner for one of the five available sites.

kdA’s proposal creates a contemporary development that expresses Bentonville’s unique characteristics while reinventing the site as welcoming, affordable, and culturally supportive. The design addresses the area’s housing density issues without changing the quality of the city, promoting community-building through a planning strategy anchored by a strong pedestrian and bicycle network and an emphasis on facilitating seamless integration with the existing land and cityscape.

The art, retail and live-work spaces are oriented towards the Momentary Museum of American Art, establishing a cultural and physical connection. The incubator/creative office space is located on SE 8th Street, connecting it to the 8th Street Market and corporate offices. A winding path links the housing to the Razorback Greenway, supporting cycling as a viable transportation option.

Clusters of housing are oriented, some off axis, to prioritize open space and form natural neighborhoods that encourage socializing, use of outdoor space, and connection among residents. This pinwheel arrangement for the housing clusters has other benefits. By organizing the project into multi-story townhouses over single story garden units, circulation is minimized. Each unit is provided with two or three exterior walls, allowing for natural light and ventilation flows of each unit. The garden level units are offset from the townhouses above, opening to the landscape while creating private terraces for upper level units.