Marlon Blackwell Architects designed the new Harvey Pediatric Clinic located in Rogers, Arkansas.

Situated in a fast developing suburban area of Rogers, Arkansas, the Harvey Pediatric Clinic, home to a thriving pediatric practice, seeks to rise above the everyday structures that populate the area and establish a new visual landmark along South 52nd Street, the main commercial corridor in the area. The strong form and reduced material palette presents a more dynamic, abstract figure in a land that was once rural, primarily agricultural and dotted by the silhouettes of singular structures such as barns, sheds, and silos.

The building’s bold profile provides the Clinic’s identity for children and parents alike. Cayenne-colored metal panels wrap the south elevation. The interior is lit from above along the edge with a skylight that stretches the length of the building. A portal at the ground floor creates a drop off area for patients under the elevated form. Tenant spaces on the ground floor are wrapped in glass, providing a connection with the surrounding landscape, establishing a visual and material separation from the upper floor.

Entering the building from the portal, one ascends a stair that is embedded in the “foot” of the structure. A skylight glazed with blue glass washes the stair with cool-colored light. The color creates a calming, vertical threshold that suggests a place of healing lies above. Upon ascending the stair, patients arrive in the waiting room at the east end of the building. Fins along the eastern glass wall guard the interior from excessive solar exposure.

Sixteen exam rooms are organized along a loop corridor creating a simple circulation path from waiting room and check-in, to the exam room, to check-out. Skylights over the two nurses’ stations, which are distributed between the exam rooms, bring ample natural light into the center of the building.

Staff enter at the west end of the building, which houses the Clinic’s administrative functions. The Flex Space is the hub for the administrative staff. This double-height space is capped by the pop-up along the south half of the building, which contributes to the bold, figural shape and encloses a mezzanine – a private break room for Dr. Harvey – with a wall of glass to the north that allows light to wash the interior and provides a visual connection to the sky.

The cayenne metal panel is a custom color that was developed specifically for the project. A standard, weathered zinc color metal panel is used on the north side of the building, which is formally quieter yet abstract in its composition and detailing. A ribbon window reinforces the horizontality of the elevated form and the darker, cool gray recedes, giving emphasis to the saturated, warm color used on the south figure. A flat metal panel profile is used on the west elevation and soffit, while a box rib metal panel profile lends a subtle texture to the north and south elevations. Custom break metal trims are used throughout, allowing the detailing of the skin to reinforce the abstract quality of the building’s shape.

The Harvey Pediatric Clinic is a progressive building for a progressive client, one who seeks a holistic approach to medicine and healing. The building compliments the practice and elevates the medical office typology, delivering a high-quality, efficient space enclosed in a bold figure.

Architect: Marlon Blackwell Architects
General Contractor: SSI, Inc.
Photographer: Timothy Hursley