What if the vast and varied landscapes of Northwest Arkansas surrounded and thrived all around the future Walmart Home Office Campus, reversing the typical expectations of a corporate headquarters campus? Walmart as a corporation has always celebrated its hometown heritage, and so their mandate for the 350-acre campus follows that same instinct: to preserve native ecologies and highlight the natural beauty of Arkansas. The “Big Nature” landscape master plan envisions a seamless campus between Walmart associates and the local Bentonville community, set against the majesty of natural features native to Arkansas, to reinforce holistic well-being. Each corner of the campus invites in the complex mosaic of habitats found throughout the region and honors the distinctive cultures that have been an integral part of the company’s history.
From woodland to wetland features, “quads” of varying size, shape, and program blur the line between what is constructed for the corporation and what is created for the community. Extensive tree canopies, tranquil courtyards, and placid lakes with native plantings, locally sourced materials, and comprehensive stormwater management underscore Walmart’s commitment to sustainability. Outdoor spaces support workplace flexibility, while a cohesive network of streets, walkways, and bikeways connect the campus both internally and with the surrounding community of Bentonville. The resulting work environment promises to become an inclusive and seamless part of its surroundings, attracting future Walmart associates and visitors with its connections to the region’s unique local ecologies and the company’s standing in the world marketplace.
Houston Green Loop
With the coming expansion and realignment of the highways around Downtown Houston, SWA identified the opportunity to enact a bold vision: a multi-use branded connectivity system that will leverage the immense reconstruction investment. SWA’s concept creates a continuous pedestrian loop over, under, and around the downtown highway system, thus redirecting the u...
Peanut Plaza
One of the most dangerous intersections at the gateway into downtown Washington DC was targeted for significant improvement. Prompted by the demolition of a Wendy’s restaurant and new road alignments to ease traffic congestion, SWA/Balsley was hired to create a memorable new gateway experience and usable, inviting parks in the newly acquired public land. The t...
Hewlett Packard Roseville
This restudy of the master plan for the 200-hectare Hewlett Packard site at Roseville, undertaken with architects Holland, East & Duvivier, led to a new master plan for the 23,000-square-meter service, repair, and distribution facility on the site as well as full landscape architectural services for the upgrading of the surrounding landscape. The plan deta...
Nanjing Tech Campus
This industrial park, located in Nanjing’s prominent Hongshan District, is an iterative upgrade of Shenzhen Galaxy World that will activate industry and finance city innovation. SWA proposed a “rivers and stars” design concept for the north and south commercial districts respectively, creating an attractive, flowing, high-quality commercial landscape for this ...