Project Statement

Located on a 5.4-acre parcel at the intersection of East Rock Street and Willow Avenue, "The Supreme Houses" is a bold missing-middle housing development anchoring Fayetteville, Arkansas's emerging Black Futures Corridor. In a city where the Black population was intentionally reduced from 33% to just 5.2% through historic erasure, this project serves as a reparative intervention. Commissioned by Northwest Arkansas Black Heritage, the conceptual mixed-use development is designed to promote culturally relevant homeownership and intergenerational wealth for returning residents and their descendants.

The project is an experiment in spatial equity viewed through an Afrofuturist lens. Guided by Jack Travis’ “10 Principles of BlackSpace Design” and the BlackSpace Manifesto, the design team drew deep inspiration from the African diaspora. The buildings' forms and aesthetics actively sample the vibrant colors and bold patterns of Hausa architecture, alongside the tall, compact, and slender spatial qualities of the Bandiagara region in Mali.

The site hosts nine single-family homes, diverse multi-family units, and local retail spaces. These are housed within ten multi-story buildings interconnected by elevated skywalks and Vierendeel trussed inhabitable bridges. Community cohesion is fostered through abundant street-level transparency, a viewing tower with an oculus, shared production gardens, and subterranean parking that doubles as an emergency community tornado shelter.

In strict alignment with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, The Supreme Houses prioritize ecological resilience. The structures utilize mass timber construction, offering a low-carbon, biophilic, and renewable alternative to traditional materials. Furthermore, the inclusion of interior living walls, green roofs, and rainwater collection systems ensures the creation of a zero-carbon, healthy, and equitable built environment.