Project Description
Marlon Blackwell Architect • Architecture is, at its best, transformative. In Springdale, Ark., Marlon Blackwell Architect took that idea to a new level, turning an existing metal shop into an Eastern Orthodox church. The design team extended the building (by only 10 feet), added a tower, and reclad it in box-ribbed metal panels, turning the humble structure into what juror Donna Robertson termed “a focal point for the community.” Juror Yolande Daniels appreciated the project’s restraint and “liked its simplicity. It’s like the America that doesn’t usually work with architects,” she said. And all of the jurors appreciated the design team’s out-of-the-box thinking, which allowed the project to be completed for $100 per square foot and included another transformation: turning a defunct satellite dish (obtained in trade for two cases of beer) into a dome over the 100-seat sanctuary.