XNA Wins With Architects

(Click here to see the list of the largest architect and engineering firms in the region.)

The best commercial architecture project in Northwest Arkansas within the past 10 years is Alice Walton Terminal at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill.

That’s the result of a poll conducted by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

We surveyed nine architects — five from Benton County and four from Washington County (a fifth Washington County architect didn’t respond).

Many of the architects had trouble coming up with five commercial projects in the area that impress them. Maybe that’s because we asked them to exclude any structure their own firms designed, so they were picking the best buildings by their peers. We also asked them to exclude residences, churches, schools and university buildings.

When they did vote, the $12 million, 78,000-SF terminal at XNA stood out as the runaway — and runway — favorite.

“It’s a clean building,” said Perry Butcher, the Rogers architect. “It has nice lines. It has some interesting components tied together. It’s very straightforward. There’s no guessing about how it works.”

“What we tried to do was address issues [concerning an industry trend toward regional jets] and provide an airport for ramp loading as well as bridge loading,” said Terry Minor of Thompson, Hancock, Witte & Associates of Atlanta, the architectural firm that designed the airport terminal. Minor served as project manager.

Minor said the terminal at XNA is similar to the one at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, which was also designed by Thompson, Hancock & Witte. The Cincinnati airport is much larger, though, with more than 30 gates. XNA has six.

“It’s an open structure,” Minor said. “You see the steel structure at the roof. So in that way, they’re similar.”

The top two buildings on our list — the XNA terminal and Washington Regional Medical Center — weren’t designed by local architects.

The top building designed by a local firm was the $3 million, 24,000-SF Market at Pinnacle Point building in Rogers, which was designed by Cynthia and Collins Haynes.

Top 10 Commercial Architecture Projects in the Last Ten Years

1. Alice Walton Terminal

Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, Highfill

78,000 SF

Value: $12 million

Architect: Thompson, Hancock & Witte, Atlanta

General Contractor: Aviation Constructors Inc., Atlanta

2. Washington Regional Medical Center

3215 N. North Hills Blvd., Fayetteville

350,000 SF

Value: $89 million

Architect: HKS, Dallas

General Contractor: Centex Rodgers Inc., Nashville, Tenn.

3. Market at Pinnacle Point building

5415 Pinnacle Point Drive, Rogers

24,000 SF

Value: $3 million

Architect: Cynthia and Collins Haynes, Rogers

General Contractor: Baldwin & Shell, Little Rock

4. Cozart Building

(former Goodyear Tire building)

104 N. East Ave., Fayetteville

9,000 SF

Value: $700,000

Architect: Marlon Blackwell and Cromwell Architects Engineers, Fayetteville

General Contractor: Not available

5. (TIE) Rogers Police and Courts building

1901-1905 S. Dixieland Road, Rogers

48,000 SF

Value: $7.6 million

Architect: Hight-Jackson Associates, Rogers

General Contractor: Nabholz Construction Corp., Rogers

Three Sisters

216 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville

60,000 SF

Value: $10 million

Architect: Rob Sharp, Fayetteville

General Contractor: Basic Construction, Springdale

7. Rogers Public Library

711 S. Dixieland Road, Rogers

24,000 SF

Value: $1.5 million

Architect: Perry Butcher & Associates, Rogers

General Contractor: Oakridge Builders Inc., Tulsa

8. Embassy Suites Hotel

3303 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers

262,520 SF

Value: $47 million

Architect: Steve Minton, John Q. Hammons Industries, Springfield, Mo.

General Contractor: KCC Construction, Springfield, Mo.

9. Fayetteville Town Center

15 W. Mountain St., Fayetteville

25,000 SF

Value: $8.3 million

Architect: Richard Alderman of Wittenberg Delony & Davidson, Fayetteville

General Contractor: Nabholz Construction Corp., Rogers

10. Springdale Administration Building

201 Spring St., Springdale

50,700 SF

Value: $3.2 million

Architect: Perry Butcher & Associates, Rogers

General Contractor: Heckathorn Construction Co., Fayetteville