• Thaden School wins the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) for its design that blends architecture, landscape, and community.
• The school's design supports a 'Wheels, Meals, and Reels' curriculum, integrating hands-on learning with the surrounding landscape.
• The campus achieves 70% higher energy efficiency than similar schools, reducing CO2 emissions by over 1,400 metric tons annually.

Thaden School, located in Bentonville, Arkansas, has been awarded the fifth MCHAP Americas Prize. Designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, EskewDumezRipple, and Andropogon Associates, the campus explores the relationship between architecture, landscape, and community within an educational setting. The school’s design supports a unique curriculum and emphasizes sustainability, aiming to serve as both an educational institution and a community hub.

• What: Thaden School received the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (MCHAP) for its architectural design.
• Who: The school was designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, EskewDumezRipple, and Andropogon Associates. The MCHAP jury included Maurice Cox, Giovanna Borasi, Gregg Pasquarelli, Mauricio Rocha, and Sofia von Ellrichshausen.
• When: The award was announced on May 06, 2025. The school was completed in 2019.
• Where: Thaden School is located in Bentonville, Arkansas, on a 30-acre site.

Thaden School's award highlights a growing trend in architecture that emphasizes sustainability, community engagement, and innovative educational spaces. The design's integration of the Ozark landscape and local agricultural traditions underscores a commitment to place-based design. The school's energy efficiency and focus on student well-being further solidify its position as a model for future educational facilities. The jury's emphasis on the building's character and its ability to interpret the pedagogical mission is a significant endorsement of the design team's vision.

The rural context of Arkansas has inspired the design team to create a uniquely American spatial form that is simultaneously centered on the Thaden School academic community while remaining completely open to the surrounding community.

No singular space dominates the campus composition; instead, a series of distinctly public landscapes and gardens of varying scales and character invites pedestrians, cyclists, and even wildlife and weather to move through.

Thaden School's recognition with the MCHAP Americas Prize underscores the importance of thoughtful and sustainable design in educational settings. The school exemplifies how architecture can foster community, enhance learning, and minimize environmental impact. Its innovative approach to integrating landscape, curriculum, and community needs positions it as a significant achievement in contemporary architecture, setting a benchmark for future projects.