Indiana airport chooses Marlon Blackwell to design new tower

Marlon Blackwell Architects (MBA), the Fayetteville firm owned by University of Arkansas professor Marlon Blackwell and his wife, Meryati Blackwell, has been chosen to design a new 100-foot-tall air traffic control tower at Columbus Municipal Airport in Columbus, Ind.

According to a news release, MBA will work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Woolpert, an aviation-focused engineering firm. Construction is expected to begin in April 2025 after a year-long design process.

Coumbus, Ind., manufacturer Cummins is supporting the project through its Cummins Foundation Architecture Program.

“Cummins is thrilled to welcome the addition of Marlon Blackwell Architects into Columbus’ design heritage,” said Jim Schacht, vice president of corporate responsibility for Cummins Inc. and CEO of the Cummins Foundation. “As a woman- and minority-owned business, MBA brings a sought-after level of excellence to its collaborative design process, which will ensure this tower reflects the high standards of the community.”

The FAA, the city of Columbus and the Indiana Department of Transportation are funding the $11.5 million project.

“Over the past three months a guiding team of community members has been evaluating an outstanding group of architecture firms from across the country for this project,” said Brian Payne, Columbus Municipal Airport Director. “We had an incredibly high caliber of architects competing for this project, but, in the end, the team selected Marlon Blackwell Architects for its vision, ingenuity, and overall passion for the Columbus community.”

Other firms considered in the project’s final evaluations were Snow Kreilich (Minneapolis), SO – IL Architects (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Howeler + Yoon (Boston).

Blackwell is a Distinguished Professor of Architecture and the E. Fay Jones Chair in Architecture at the UA’s Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. He’s taught there since 1992. He’s also a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

“We are so honored to have been selected to contribute to the architectural legacy of Columbus,” Blackwell said.  “More than a piece of infrastructure, our hope is that the new Columbus Municipal Airport Air Traffic Control Tower will become a beacon of Columbus’s architectural and design heritage, that will mark a key gateway into the city.”

The new tower will replace the airport’s existing 80-year-old tower and will be upgraded to align with current FAA air traffic control tower standards, including sighting, backup cooling and power, security, fire and life safety, and FAA equipment.

According to the release, Woolpert’s long-time partners, Guy Nordenson and Associates, will support the structural design and contribute to the project.  Additionally, Thornton Tomasetti (façade design) and Threshold Acoustics (acoustic consulting) will work closely with the design team.