Heifer Village architects honored with International Design Award

Polk Stanley Wilcox’s design of the Heifer International Murphy Keller Education Center has won a prestigious “American Architecture Award” for 2011. The award was given by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Centre for Architecture Art Design & Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.

The 17,000 square foot Education Center contains exhibit galleries, a gift shop, cafe, and meeting spaces for all types of programming.  The project’s placement within a constructed wetland on a reclaimed railroad brownfield demonstrates the tangible results of “smart” environmental development. The Education Center weaves wetlands with exhibits, expanding environmental stewardship while serving as a symbol of hope for world hunger efforts. 

According to project designer/principal Reese Rowland, “Heifer’s Education Center tells the story of urban land reclamation as an example of sustainability, which is a key in educating the public in ways to solve world hunger.  It was an honor to craft our client’s story into a physical narrative for a difficult, yet meaningful subject.” 

“Hopefully the building and its exhibits will be a call to action.  This recognition is proof that good design matters, and can contribute to getting an organization like Heifer International’s message out into the public eye, which is critical for their humanitarian efforts,” said Rowland.  “We are also excited to bring more national exposure to downtown Little Rock as well.”

“The American Architecture Awards” have become the foremost, prestigious international award for public recognition of Excellence in Architecture, celebrating the most outstanding new architecture designed and built in the United States by leading American and International architects.  The Awards identify new cutting-edge design direction, urban philosophy, style, and intellectual substance in American Architecture today.  This year’s jury from Vancouver, British Columbia included notable architectural practitioners, educators, and architecture journalists. In all, only 46 projects were deemed worthy of the award out of roughly 1000 considered from around the world.