MBL Architecture

09/03/2026

We designed the YvonneRichardson CommunityCenter addition and renovation around one idea: bring it to the street.

The original building sat back and closed off, so you had to already know it was there to find your way in. Now, it has a front porch, public art, a corridor of windows, and a child-sized teaching kitchen for the next generation of cooks. The list of new features from our recent remodel goes on and on, but the soul of the place is the same.

Our principal Audy Lack recently met NPR’s Kyle Kellams onsite and cut an interview for his show Ozarks at Large on KUAF 91.3 Public Radio.

Take a listen here:
https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2026-08-21/renovated-yvonne-richardson-community-center-opens-to-the-street

08/27/2026

Voting is now open for the AIA Arkansas People’s Choice Awards, and our work on Arkansas Tech University’s Ferguson Student Union is on the ballot.

Completed this year in the heart of campus, the project creates a vibrant space for students to gather throughout the day and host intercollegiate Esports competitions, which have been surging in popularity over recent years. Other features include a flexible recreation space that could be used for various sports, such as pickleball and basketball.

It replaces the Chamber Cafeteria, which was constructed in the 1950s, and now provides students with a new hub for campus life, collaboration and recreation – supporting the university’s academic and recruitment efforts. Thanks again to our partners at SmithGroup and Ground Control for their work on this important project.

AIA voting ends on Tuesday, Sept. 1, so don't procrastinate and vote here: https://www.aiaar.org/entries/vote-for-peoples-choice-award/

08/26/2026

For 30 years, the YvonneRichardson CommunityCenter has hosted after-school programs, summer camps and open gym time for Fayetteville children. This year the city capped a multi-year, ~$4M expansion: a teaching kitchen, multi-purpose classrooms and a new hardwood gym, funded through a 2019 voter-approved parks bond and a Walton Family Foundation matching grant.

Built in 1996, it was named after Yvonne Richardson, daughter of former University of Arkansas coach , who sadly passed away at 15 after a battle with leukemia. The mission she inspired, "leave your community better than you found it," is very much alive today.

5NEWS has the story.

08/20/2026

What if the most sustainable material is the one you never have to throw away?

That's the lens Steven Jones, LEED AP, of MBL Architecture brings to sustainable design, and it's reshaping how architects think about interiors. In Architectural Record's latest article, MBL's "sensibility green" approach cuts through the noise: sustainability should be practical and rooted in common sense. For instance, using glass partitions maximize natural light and adds flexibility to cuts down on, both, ongoing power demands and future construction.

It's a clear, buildable vision of where architecture is heading. For more information, read "The Rise of a Sustainability Culture in Architecture": https://continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/architect/courses/the-sliding-door-company/the-rise-of-a-sustainability-culture-in-architecture

08/12/2026

MBL Architecture is delighted to celebrate the reopening of the YvonneRichardson CommunityCenter in Fayetteville, a $4 million transformation completed alongside upgrades to the adjacent Ralph "Buddy" Hayes Park.

The City of Fayetteville, which recently designated the neighborhood as a Black Historic District to preserve structures and cultural significance southeast of downtown, initially engaged MBL in 2019 to design a small kitchen for the aging community center. What started there grew, through ongoing conversations with residents, staff, and city officials, into a full reimagining of the facility. The finished project added 3,850 sq ft of new space and refreshed 9,500 sq ft of the 30-year-old center, including two multi-purpose classrooms, a teaching kitchen, a new hardwood gym floor, and an operable partition system for flexible programming, all wrapped in iron spot brick and dark metal panels that root the building in its surrounding landscape.

Next door, Buddy Hayes Park saw its own transformation, with creek habitat rehabilitation and an amphitheater for community gatherings. Together, the two projects give the neighborhood a home for the next generation. The center now hosts nearly 90 children a week in summer camp programming!

"This started as a plan for a new kitchen, and by listening to the community, it became something far more ambitious. This has been a passion project for our team from day one, and seeing it come to life for a community that has given so much to Fayetteville has been incredibly rewarding," said Audy Lack, Principal.

Proud to have partnered with the City of Fayetteville Arkansas Government, the Walton Family Foundation, Moser Construction LLC, and Josh Lainfiesta to bring this vision to life.

Learn more about the project: https://www.mbl-arch.com/community/yvonne-richardson-communitycenter

08/11/2026

08/07/2026

With the heat turning up across Arkansas, it's important to stay active and cool this summer. A good way to beat the heat is to spend your day at Clarksville Aquatic Center.

Designed by MBL Architecture, this 43,756-square-foot facility featuring an all-glass enclosed competition pool with a retractable roof, an eight-lane, 25-yard lap pool, a warm water therapy pool, dual water slides, a lazy river, and a children's splash and play pool.

This venue has become one of the premiere aquatic destinations in the River Valley, serving competitive swim teams and lessons, physical therapy patients and senior citizens, and families looking for a cool escape from the Arkansas summer heat.

Learn more about our work on the Clarksville Aquatic Center and other community and recreation projects here: https://www.mbl-arch.com/community/clarksville-aquatic-center

08/04/2026

Designing spaces is one thing, but seeing them come alive is everything.

We’re thrilled to see our renovated design for the YvonneRichardson CommunityCenter in Fayetteville open and bustling with energy.

Funded through the city’s 2019 bond initiative and a matching grant from the Walton Family Foundation, the project has been widely celebrated with the city seeing a 50% surge in youth registration for its summer camp program.

From flexible indoor activity zones and light-filled spaces designed for connection to public art and nutrition education, every detail was crafted with this community’s youth in mind. Here’s to a summer of fun, learning, and making memories in a space built to last!

Learn more about our work with YRCC: https://www.mbl-arch.com/community/yvonne-richardson-communitycenter