Marlon Blackwell Receives AIA Award For Crystal Bridges Museum Store
by February 2, 2015 12:00 am 108 views
Marlon Blackwell Architects on Jan. 9 received an Institute Honor Award for Interior Architecture from The American Institute of Architects for its design work on the museum store at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
“I feel strongly that the store is truly an extension of the museum experience,” he said.
The museum store features a series of 224 parallel wooden ribs (made of locally harvested cherry plywood) across the ceiling, and the design was inspired by a local basket maker, according to a press release from AIA.
The award marks the eighth national AIA honor Marlon Blackwell Architects has received since 2008, Blackwell said.
For the 2015 Institute Awards, 23 honorees were chosen from 500 submissions, according to the AIA press release.
The medal, voted on annually, is considered to be the profession’s highest honor that an individual can receive, according to the AIA.
Both Safdie and the Blackwell firm will be honored at the AIA National Convention, set for May 14-16 in Atlanta.