Fay Jones School Alumni and Faculty Recognized by AIA Arkansas at Annual Banquet

Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, a professor of architecture and associate dean in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, was recently recognized by AIA Arkansas with its Award of Merit.
Russell Cothren

Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, a professor of architecture and associate dean in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, was recently recognized by AIA Arkansas with its Award of Merit.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized alumni and faculty of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design with numerous awards at the 2016 AIA Arkansas State Convention banquet in Rogers on Nov. 4.

Projects by Fay Jones School faculty and alumni won all eight awards given in the Design Awards Program — four honor awards, two merit awards, a citation award and the people's choice award. This year, 39 design entries were submitted by member firms, and the jury selected the winners from 13 finalists.

In addition, three individuals with Fay Jones School ties were honored with the Emerging Professionals Award, the Dick Savage Memorial Award and the Award of Merit, including Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, a professor of architecture and associate dean.

The Honor Awards were given for the Riggs CAT Corporate Headquarters in Little Rock, the Montessori Primary School in Fayetteville, the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the University of Arkansas campus and Manzeum, a remodeled workshop for a private client in Fayetteville.

The Riggs CAT Corporate Headquarters, designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects, also won the Members' Choice Award. The steel and glass structure speaks to industrial and modern sensibilities, combining the Miesian style of the adjacent 1950s warehouse (also renovated into a training center) with an open, light-filled design. The lobby is both showroom and reception space, with offices and an open boardroom arrayed along "catwalks" above.

The project team included Cindy Pruitt, Reese Rowland, Josh Newton and David Porter, all alumni, and Laura Hendrix.

The Montessori Primary School, designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, is a complete renovation of an outdated suburban office building into a nine-classroom school. The design incorporates the original structure of the building by including large banks of glass along the south and west walls, while angled walls drop in front of the windows to provide shade and visual separation from the street. An addition to the north side of the building frames two courtyards, used for outdoor play, between the old and the new.

The project team included Marlon Blackwell, Meryati Johari Blackwell, Bradford Payne, Justin Hershberger and Stephen Kesel, along with alumni William Burks, Spencer Curtis and Stephen Reyenga. Marlon Blackwell is founder and principal of Marlon Blackwell Architects, a Fellow of the AIA, and Distinguished Professor and E. Fay Jones Chair of Architecture in the Fay Jones School.

The Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, designed by Allison Architects, is a renovation of the historic Field House. Designers restored the exterior to its 1930s appearance, using historical photos to replicate the original wooden entry doors and flagpoles. Inside, the 600-seat concert hall features a platform lift between the stage and lower levels, fumed Larch and Venetian plaster panels and hidden acoustical curtains for tuning the room. LEED Gold certification is expected.

The project team included John Allison, Chris Hartsfield, Katie Bruhl and Aaron Ruby, all alumni, along with Sarah Goss, Tim Carl, Adam Luckhardt and Andrew Weyenberg.

Manzeum, designed by Modus Studio, features a strong and raw palette of concrete, steel and cedar, organized around the "big dumb wood box" concept. The interior design highlights the interplay of old and new, while the new fire pit terrace provides steel containment for the entire structure, which is carved into the evolving 20-acre landscape.

The project team included Chris Baribeau, an alumnus, and Brandon White.

The Merit Awards were given for the Brough Commons Starbucks Addition and Remodel on the U of A campus and B House, a private residence.

The Starbucks addition and remodel, designed by Miller Boskus Lack Architects, expanded into the surrounding plaza to create a light-filled space in which students could gather. Elements of sky, wall and plaza intersect in this update of a 1950s-era dining hall.

The project team included alumni Roger Boskus and Adam Stevinson, along with Mark Bradley.

B House, designed by Skiles Architects, is a contemporary, 1,656-square-foot home tucked in a transitional and diverse Fayetteville neighborhood. Natural lighting, high ceilings and a subtle palette of warmly hued rock and wood maximize the interior space. Slatted front porches allow for outdoor privacy, while the kitchen terrace can be enjoyed with light flowing through its closed slats or with slats open and framing the mountain views.

The project team included Lisa K. Skiles, an alumna, and Albert B. Skiles, with Steve Powell of Hickory Creek Builders.

The People's Choice Award, which is voted on by the public, was given to the Hayden Padgett Memorial Press Box at Bomber Stadium in Mountain Home. Designed by Morrison Architecture, the memorial was inspired by the mascot of Mountain Home High School, the Bomber airplane and a WWII control tower. The main roof symbolizes an airplane wing, with circular cutouts in steel beams acting as wing "rib" support. Uplights illuminate the wing, giving the illusion of flight and honoring the spirit of a boy who loved Bomber football.

The project team included alumni Laura Morrison and Charles Morrison.

The Citation Award, granted each year to an unbuilt project that has been designed in theory, was given to Parking Deck 101: A Study in Urban Infill. Designed by AMR Architects, the project refaces an existing parking deck on Third Street in Little Rock to address multiple urban needs. The designer was tasked with keeping parking levels high, adding retail and dining space on the ground floor and adding affordable compact apartments on the upper floors. An additional challenge: the parking deck must be kept open during construction, and the busy street with much pedestrian traffic will not allow much time for closure.

The project was designed by alumnus Kyle Heflin.

Patricia Opitz, a senior associate with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects in Little Rock, was named the 2016 Emerging Professional. This award recognizes a new professional who has expanded the role of the architecture through civic participation and professional mentorship, and only members who have been practicing less than 10 years are eligible to receive it. A 2004 graduate of the Fay Jones School, Opitz has been involved in a broad range of projects, including education, commercial, hospitality and civic, and has experience in residential planning, from new residences to additions and renovations. As Central Section Chair for the AIA Arkansas Chapter Board, Opitz has inaugurated two fundraising events and is assisting in efforts to launch the Diversity and Women in Architecture Committee within the AIA Arkansas chapter.

The Dick Savage Memorial Award was given to Michael LeJong, a principal at MAHG Architecture in Fort Smith. This award recognizes a member of the Arkansas Chapter who has made notable, significant contributions to AIA Arkansas and the profession. A 1996 graduate of the Fay Jones School, Lejong has represented AIA and the architectural profession on many levels throughout his career. He was named AIA Arkansas Chapter President in 2012, after serving for eight years on the state board. He now represents AIA Arkansas on the AIA State Government Network national committee, serving as Gulf States Regional Representative on the AIA Small Firm Exchange.  

The Award of Merit was given to Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, a professor of architecture and associate dean in the Fay Jones School. This award recognizes an individual, public official, member of any allied profession, public agency or company that has contributed to the dignity and value of the architectural profession.

Goodstein-Murphree has served on the faculty since 1992. With her husband, David Murphree, she is a partner in studio m2, an alternative design firm. She has been engaged in architectural education and practice for more than four decades. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from City College of the City University of New York, a master's degree in history of architecture and urban development from Cornell University, and an interdisciplinary doctorate in architecture from the University of Michigan. She practiced architecture in New York City.

Goodstein-Murphree began her career in architectural education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she taught for 10 years. She has served as architectural historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program in this state.

As associate dean of the Fay Jones School since 2009, Goodstein-Murphree has worked closely with the deans in cultivating relationships with the campus community and within the Fay Jones School. She has also provided significant leadership during transitions as interim dean (2013-14) and interim head of the Department of Landscape Architecture (2015-16).

Central to all of her work for the school and its students is the goal of assuring diversity, inclusivity and equity in the academy and in the profession. In the classroom, educating students about architectural heritage and building a preservation ethic into the training of all architects and designers have long been touchstones for her teaching.

For more information, visit the AIA Arkansas website.

Contacts

Bettina M. Lehovec, communications writer
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704, blehovec@uark.edu

Michelle Parks, director of communications
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704, mparks17@uark.edu

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