UA ARCHITECTURE PROFESSOR TO LECTURE AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Moore HoneyHouse, a rural cabin/carport that also serves as a honey processing and storage facility, has reaped international recognition for University of Arkansas architecture professor Marlon Blackwell. On March 18, Blackwell will present a lecture in London to the Royal Institute of British Architects, which has been a leading voice in architecture since it received its royal charter in 1837.

Touted by the Royal Institute as a "radical ruralist," Blackwell will participate in one of four RIBA seminars showcasing the talent of young architects awarded in the prestigious annual ar+d Emerging Architecture Competition. The Royal Institute also will display his work in an accompanying exhibition of winning and highly commended entrants from February 24 to March 29.

In November 2002 Blackwell traveled to the Danish Design Center in Copenhagen to receive the ar+d Emerging Architecture award, which is co-sponsored by the London-based Architectural Review and the Danish architectural design firm d lineT. HoneyHouse was one of five designs chosen from 700 entries; it shares the award with designs located in Croatia, Germany, Japan, and Australia.

Sited on Little Terrapin Mountain in North Carolina, HoneyHouse is graced by a butterfly roof and a load-bearing wall fabricated from steel plates and faceted glass panes that shift between transparency and opacity with every turn of light and position. Jars of honey sit within the wall of voids, which evokes the cellular structure of a honeycomb.

According to Peter Davey, editor of the Architectural Review, "The jury decided to give the small building an award because it uses materials with great sensitivity and sophistication, and it suggests new relationships between artifact and nature with the simplest of means."

The sensitive integration of building and landscape, attention to detail, and a playful approach characterize Blackwell's work. Blackwell has received numerous honors since coming to the University in 1992, including a cover story in the February 2001 issue of Architectural Record and a 2001 Gulf States Regional American Instititue of Architects Design Honor Award. His Keenan TowerHouse appeared on the cover of Private Towers (HarperCollins 2002) and was featured in House: American Houses for the New Century (Universe/Rizzoli 2001). Fine Living network featured the tower on "Breathing Space" last spring.

Dean Jeff Shannon of the School of Architecture notes "we are proud of Marlon's continuing accomplishments but certainly not surprised."

Blackwell's successes stem from his commitment to design that reaches beyond the ordinary. "Most good architecture is good enough for most days, but some buildings, some architecture should rise above the everyday," Blackwell says.

With buildings such as HoneyHouse, Blackwell is well on his way to shaping the everyday into something extraordinary. Blackwell also will present lectures at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina this month.