University of Arkansas School of Architecture

Fay Jones School of Architecture

Vol Walker Hall, home of the Fay Jones School of Architecture
Established	1946
Dean	Peter MacKeith
Academic staff	35
Students	522 (2012)
Location	Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA 36°04′07″N 94°10′22″W
Campus	University of Arkansas
Affiliations	University of Arkansas
Website	http://architecture.uark.edu/

The Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas offers education in these fields: architecture, landscape architecture and interior design. In recent years, a high percentage of graduates have achieved placement in both jobs and graduate programs after graduation.

On September 12, 2013, the Fay Jones School of Architecture celebrated the completion of a construction project more than three years in the making. The renovated Vol Walker Hall and the new addition, the Steven L. Anderson Design Center, were rededicated and dedicated, respectively, on the west side of the addition.

In 2010, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donated $10 million to name the addition to Vol Walker Hall the Steven L. Anderson Design center, honoring Anderson, foundation president and a 1976 graduate of the Fay Jones School’s architecture program. The U of A also contributed $19.8 million toward the project, an example of how the campus facilities fee is being used to help pay for deferred maintenance and renovation for specific capital improvements.

The 34,320-square-foot design center addition is made from limestone panels, steel, architectural concrete, Arkansas white oak and glass. Added to the 56,635 square feet in Vol Walker Hall, the total space in the building is now 90,955 square feet. According to current estimates, the project cost was a little more than $32.4 million. About 54 percent of that total went toward the renovation of Vol Walker Hall, with about 46 percent going toward the addition.

The state-of-the-art facility – which includes several design studios, a computer lab, a design shop, a 200-seat lecture hall, a securable exhibition gallery, student and faculty lounge areas, and a green roof – will help enhance and expand the already top-notch education provided by the school’s faculty and administration.

As the university moves forward toward the goal of becoming one of the nation’s top 50 public research universities, the Fay Jones School already has gained a solid reputation. The architecture program was ranked 19th in the nation, and eighth among public universities, in a survey by the Design Futures Council, published in DesignIntelligence in 2012. The school also tied for the No. 1 ranking in a national survey of “top brands” in architectural education, also conducted by the Design Futures Council, in two categories: “Top for Regional Respect and Admiration” and “Best Small School Design Program.”

Degrees

Five degrees total may be attained from the Fay Jones School of Architecture: the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (B.L.A.), each of which requires about 10 semesters of work; Bachelor of Interior Design (B.I.D.), which is a nine-semester program; and the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies (ARSTBS) and Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture Studies (LARCBS), both of which are the basis for graduate work in architecture or further education in other fields. Several minors are also available.

Community Design Center

The University of Arkansas Community Design Center was founded in 1995 as part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture. The center advances creative development in Arkansas through education, research, and design solutions that enhance the physical environment. It has provided design and planning services to more than 45 communities and organizations across Arkansas, helping them to secure nearly $65 million in grant funding to enact suggested improvements.

In addition to revitalizing historic downtowns, the center addresses new challenges in affordable housing, urban sprawl, environmental planning, and management of regional growth or decline. The center’s professional staff members are nationally recognized for their expertise in urban and public-interest design, and their work has received more than 100 design awards.

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Millsap Canopy Bridge at Garvan Woodland Gardens, Hot Springs, Ark.

Garvan Woodland Gardens, located near Hot Springs, Ark., is a viable and sustainable entity within the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. This program furthers the University’s mission of teaching, research, and public service through their own mission:

Garvan Woodland Gardens' mission is to preserve and enhance a unique part of the Ouachita environment; provide people with a place of learning, research, cultural enrichment, and serenity; develop and sustain gardens, landscapes, and structures of exceptional aesthetics, design, and construction; and partner with and serve communities of which the Gardens is a part.

It was established in honor of heiress Verna Cook Garvan. Prior to her death in 1993, Garvan worked with landscape architecture faculty at the Fay Jones School to develop 210 wooded acres on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs into a woodland botanical garden.

History

Vol Walker Hall was built in 1935 as the university’s library. Since 1968, it has served as home to the architecture school, although some programs of the school have been located in other campus facilities during that time. The renovated historic building, plus the significant addition, allows the school, for the first time, to accommodate the faculty and students of all three disciplines – architecture, landscape architecture and interior design – along with support staff, in a shared space.

The Fay Jones School of Architecture began in 1946-47 as architecture courses within the College of Engineering, with John G. Williams teaching 17 students, including future faculty members E. Fay Jones and Ernie Jacks. In 1948, the architecture program transferred into the College of Arts and Sciences. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited the architecture program in 1958. The landscape architecture program was established in 1975 and has been accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) since 1983. After many years in planning, the Interior Design program moved to the school in July 2010. The Interior Design program is a CIDA (Council of Interior Design Accreditation) accredited program.

In 1974, the program became a school, with Fay Jones serving as the first dean. In 2009, the school was renamed the Fay Jones School of Architecture, at the request of Don and Ellen Edmondson, former clients of Jones', who made a $10 million planned gift.