Together with members of the Walton family, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and Polk Stanley Wilcox officially broke ground on the new world-class learning institution in Northwest Arkansas. Officially named Bentonville Institute of Technology, the university’s first phase will include 444,000 sq ft of academic, residential, and innovation space that integrates with the city’s network of parks and public spaces.
Image Courtesy of: Kerri McMahon
Following the Bentonville Planning Commission’s unanimous approval of the site plan, Bentonville Institute of Technology’s groundbreaking and name reveal were celebrated with a ceremony that included remarks by Tom and Steuart Walton, the institute’s President Dr. David Mazyck, and the superintendent of Bentonville Public Schools Dr. Debbie Jones. Designed as part of the mixed-use development planned for the former Walmart Home Office, the milestone marks another major step in cultivating the next generation of innovators rooted in the Ozark region.
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
“Bentonville has a long history of turning bold ideas into real change. Bentonville Institute of Technology is a chance to create a new model of education, one built for the world students are entering, with deep industry engagement from day one.” – Tom Walton
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of shaping what will be not only a new American academic institution, but also a vibrant new neighborhood in Bentonville. A place where students and citizens, faculty and professionals will mix and mingle, exploring new ways for education and business, academia and society to coexist and coevolve.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
“Bentonville Institute of Technology captures the essence of who we are: a technology-focused university rooted in one of the nation’s most innovative communities. The name reflects our belief that the next generation of technological advances can emerge from the heartland of America through an institution rooted in education, collaboration, and innovation.” – Dr. David Mazyck, President, Bentonville Institute of Technology
Situated between Bentonville’s downtown square to the northeast and Gateway Park to the southwest, the university extends the city center onto the urban campus. Phase I encompasses three buildings connected by a spine of active public plazas and greenspaces: a 133,727-sq-ft flexible makerspace designed to encourage experimentation and problem solving; a 155,062-sq-ft academic building housing classrooms, lab facilities, faculty spaces, and offices; and a 400-bed student residential building organized around generous outdoor courtyards.
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
Anchoring the university square, the makerspace is clad in weathering steel that will patina over time, speaking to Northwest Arkansas’s industrial heritage and the project’s relationship to the local climate. Its series of stacked, offset, and interlocking volumes foster openness and the exchange of ideas, while terraces step down towards the public plaza, drawing campus activity into the building.
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
Across SW E Steet, the academic building is conceived as an efficient stack of alternating bars and a curved copper facade that create interior terraces and breezeways inspired by Ozark vernacular architecture. A daylit atrium, dramatic staircase, and interspersed classrooms, labs, and offices encourage collaboration, while terraces ascending from the plaza echo the stepped design of the makerspace across the street.
The student residential building is organized as a figure-eight, carving out two terraces and a pair of elevated courtyards perched above a dining hall and shared amenity spaces. Bathed in morning and afternoon light, the courtyards extend the campus greens into the building, while student rooms are oriented outward with views of the campus and parks beyond.
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
“Our grandfather’s curiosity drove everything he did. He walked his own stores and his competitors’ with a notepad and came back to this site with ideas that changed an industry. It’s fitting that this ground will now be home to students who share that curiosity and have a drive to build.” – Steuart Walton
Rendering Courtesy of: BIG
Bentonville Institute of Technology expects to welcome its first undergraduate class of approximately 300 students in August 2029 and eventually grow to approximately 1,500 undergraduate students and 500 working professionals. Tuition is expected to be fully covered.
