Project Details
- Project Name
- Home Building
- Location
- AK
- Architect
- EskewDumezRipple
- Client/Owner
- Thaden School
- Project Types
- Education
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 34,686 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2019
- Shared by
- Madeleine D'Angelo
- Project Status
- Built
- Cost
- $11,000,000
This project was selected as a Merit winner in ARCHITECT's 2023 Architecture & Interiors Awards, Architecture: Institutional category.
“The design takes modest materials and simple roof forms, folding and manipulating them to make something special and unique.” — Juror Susan T. Rodriguez, FAIA
Hands-on instruction as an extension of classroom learning is central to the mission of Thaden School, a private high school in Bentonville, Ark. Its new 34,686-square-foot Home Building—complete with food-science classrooms, a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, a library, faculty offices, study lounges, and the campus’s main dining hall—reflects the institution’s philosophy wholeheartedly.
The New Orleans–based architecture firm EskewDumezRipple designed the structure as the “hearth” of the school, drawing on local Ozark vernacular, sustainable design strategies, and an indoor-outdoor orientation to support student education. Featuring board-and-batten siding, all-wood construction, and an asymmetrical gabled roof as well as walls of windows and a covered courtyard, the facility's architecture puts a contemporary twist on a regional aesthetic.
Outside the building, the landscape offers a different kind of classroom. Native flowers, plants, and trees encourage natural growth and provide a living botanical guide, while fruit and vegetable fields, orchards, planters, and a greenhouse allow for education in agriculture. Plus, a pond fosters aquatic-based learning and retains most of the site’s rainwater, supporting overall stormwater management.
PROJECT CREDITS
Project: Home Building, Bentonville, Ark.
Architects: EskewDumezRipple
