FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Tim de Noble designs architecture with a modern twist. As a recent Citation Award winner for the Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), his unbuilt design of the Garner-Herring Residence inverts a typically prominent roofline by adding a porte-cochere at two levels.

The result: a design with unique views and angles in which the roof plane becomes an enlivened terrace emphasizing surrounding trees, a design that the AIA jury calls "completely nonconventional and smart."

Among the considerations were the site's severe slope and dual residency. To reach the primary residence, inhabitants would cross the patio-roof to a pavilion. Inside public spaces such as a kitchen and a dining room are stacked or segregated, creating the illusion of privacy.

Whether he emphasizes inversion by cladding the structure with standing seam copper panels or he lessens the impact of the structure on the surrounding trees by maintaining a narrow profile, his meticulous attention to detail sustains the high quality of his design.

"I was blown away by his attention to details," said client Rebecca Garner. "I never knew that I was supposed to be concerned with where the sun set at different times of the year. I didn’t need to worry; he paid attention to it all."

As vice president of Habitat for Humanity, co-chairman of the Youth Exchange Committee of the Rotary Club and design committee member for the Downtown Dickson Enhancement Project, de Noble is no stranger to residential projects. His own remodeled kitchen appeared in the At Home Arkansas February 2002 edition.

"If the project were built, the entry sequence would be great, crossing a roof terrace to enter at the top of the living space," the jury said. "The project is very different and the level of work very good."

The Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized professor de Noble and other winners at its annual convention October 4-6 at the new Peabody Hotel and adjoining Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Over 550 architects, allied members and guests attended. The Design Awards program seeks to honor works of distinction of AIA Arkansas members and bring to the public's attention examples of outstanding architecture like de Noble's.

School of Architecture Dean Jeff Shannon said, "Tim has managed to make a house with a modernist sensibility feel very rooted and at home with its sight."