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Located on a forested campus next to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, the Heartland Whole Health Institute’s curvilinear forms emulate the rolling terrain of the surrounding Ozark Mountains. Designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, a firm based in nearby Fayetteville, the health-care center adopts a holistic approach to patients’ well-being, with spaces designed to promote healing and to facilitate connection and reflection. The facade is composed of “giraffe stone”—a vernacular building technique—using locally sourced blocks and faceted bronze fins, while travertine marble, pecan wood, and Venetian plaster line the interiors. Visitors enter through a monumental “dogtrot” that serves as a sheltered gathering space. The primary lobby features a sculptural ceiling and a suspended central stair that leads to a meditation room with a conical skylight. The public areas on the ground floor include event spaces, a café, and an art gallery, while the two upper levels house flexible office areas with glass partitions and acoustic panels. Next to the primary facility, there is a multipurpose parking structure with programmable lighting, which can be used as an event venue or public plaza.

Photo © Timothy Hursley, click to enlarge.