Design Excellence Program Adds 18 Firms

The Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program added 18 firms and renewed partnerships with four more.

The program, founded by the Walton Family Foundation in 2015, now has close to 50 architecture and landscape architecture firms from 14 states, Canada and Denmark. DEMX Architecture of Fayetteville was added to the program, while Marlon Blackwell Architecture of Fayetteville and Modus Studio of Fayetteville had their memberships renewed.

The Design Excellence Program selects firms and projects based on four criteria: a commitment to strengthening public life; elevating standards of sustainability and resilience; celebrating local cultures and places; and building regional capacity.

The program supports 15 projects in downtown areas in the region. The foundation said participants have raised more than $100 million in construction funding through the program.