Marlon Blackwell Architect
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
With one of his recent and, to date, most personal projects, Marlon Blackwell, AIA, brings new meaning to the term “starter house.” Having sworn he would never own a house he did not design, the architect became a first-time homeowner at the age of 50 when he built a place for himself and his family on a quiet street in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
In 1992, before they were married, Blackwell and Meryati Johari-Blackwell, who trained as an architect, decided to call Fayetteville home when Blackwell was offered a position at the University of Arkansas. “There are too many architects on the road these days,” he told record in 2001, “and it shows up in their work. I realized I couldn’t just keep on moving. I had to get to know a place and allow it to shape what I do.” 
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Fayetteville, a midsize college town in northwestern Arkansas, has gradually been sprawling into the surrounding farmland and pastoral foothills of the Ozark Mountains. But the Blackwells wanted to remain in the central city, within walking distance of the university, the local elementary school, and the architect’s office. With a little luck, they found a 9,500-square-foot lot in an established neighborhood of mostly single-story houses down the street from a bucolic city park. But the property came with quirks: Trapezoid in shape and bisected by a spring-fed creek, it was not for the faint of heart. 
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Blackwell and Johari-Blackwell, who works in his office, collaborated on the home—which they call the L-Stack House—for themselves and their two young children, with Blackwell handling the exteriors, Johari-Blackwell the interiors. “Where they overlap,” she says, “you argue.” Blackwell was not interested in filling in the creek, so instead, he designed the house as a bridge over it, planting two concrete abutments on either bank, and spanning them with the house’s 18-foot-wide, bar-shaped lower level. Preserving the creek lends a living, moving, constantly changing element to the site, and also provides endless amusement for the children, who splash about in the water and catch crawfish in the warmer months. In deference to the modestly scaled surrounding properties, and in an attempt to create the perception of a one-story house from the street, the architect stacked a second 18-foot-wide bar on top in an L configuration (with an 8-foot cantilever in front), rendering a massive overhang in the back that shelters a spacious outdoor living area. The ground floor of the 2,500-square-foot house, which has a steel superstructure with wood studs in between the columns and beams, contains a living/dining/kitchen area, and the upper level holds the bedrooms. A glass-enclosed stair, the sole connecting point between the volumes, serves as a linchpin and, soaring above the creek, creates a dramatic pause between private and public zones. 
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Photo courtesy Beth Broome
Photo courtesy Beth Broom
the PeopleArchitectMarlon Blackwell Architect 100 W. Center Street Suite 001 Fayetteville, AR 72701 Phone: 479-9739121 fax: 479-251-8281 www.marlonblackwell.com Marlon Blackwell and Meryati Johari Blackwell Interior designer: Meryati Johari Blackwell Marlon Blackwell Architect - interiors Engineer(s): Joe Looney Structural Engineers Consultant(s): Landscape: Stuart Fulbright Garden Architect Lighting: John Rogers Design Audio /Video/Lighting/Security Automations and Controls: A/V Design Consultants Inc. General contractor: Marlon and Meryati Blackwell Michael Ames (Benchmark Framing-for framing and carpentary) Photographer: Timothy Hursley of The Arkansas Office Renderer: The office of Marlon Blackwell Architect CAD system, project management, or other software used: AutoCad, Illustrator, Photoshop. | the ProductsExterior cladding:Concrete: Foundation Specialties Inc. Windows/glass/curtainwall: Custom low-E tempered insulated glass and Thermal Windows and Kawneer – Metal Cladding: Black zinc, Ricky Bruno of Franklin Roofing Inc. Wood: Custom Massaranduba (Brazilian redwood)rainscreen system, by Michael Ames of Benchmark Framing Roofing: Modified Bitumen: (For rooftops) EPDM: (For cladding on walls behind rainscreen system) Insulation: Soybased foam insulation on all exterior walls, ceilings and floors.(by BioBased Insulation inc.) Flooring: Bathroom tiles: 1”x1” “facets”recycled glass mosaic tiles by Oceanside Glasstile (kids bath walls) 2”x8” “blanco” ceramic tiles by Sonoma Tilemakers (on walls in masterbath and powder room) Bathroom floors: 12”x24” porcelain tiles “annulee” by Arkim, Germany Shower Floors: Black Mexican beach pebbles Patio flooring: 1 ½” thick 12”x24” flamed black granite. Interior Flooring: 1” x 6” Brazilian teak wood floors Deck flooring: 1” x 6”Brazilian teak wood floors Ceiling: Painted 5/8” gypsum board throughout. Glazing: Glass: Custom tempered insulated low-e glass Skylights: Custom insulated, tempered and laminated low-e glass panels Doors: Entrances: Solid core wood exterior door by Marshfield Door Systems. Metal and glass patio doors: Kawneer Interior Wood doors: Solid core rift cut oak veneer wood door by Marshfield Door Systems. Hardware: Locksets: Baldwin Interior finishes: Kitchen cabinets: custom wenge plywood by Glottman, Miami Design District. Bathrooms and masterbedroom cabinets and vanity: quarter sawn walnut veneer plywood custom made by Pat Meeks of Meeks Brothers Cabinetry. Kids bedroom cabinets and closet system: Rift cut white oak- custom made by Pat Meeks of Meeks Brothers Cabinetry. Library bookcase: Custom wenge plywood cabinets and bookcase by Skip Beaton Paints: Bright white by Sherwin Williams Paneling: Custom Poplar wood 1x2 horizontal strips Countertops on kitchen and cabinets: DuPont Zodiaq Quartz surface in “alabaster” Furnishings: Living room sectional sofa: Molteni & C, Italia from Lacuna Modern Interiors. Club chairs: “Sapporo” byCalligaris, Italia, from Lacuna Breakfast counter stools: cb2 Master bedroom bed: Calligaris, Italia, from Lacuna Girl’s bedroom bed: Custom upholstery by Dotson Upholstery Boy’s bedroom bed: Room&Board Dining table, stools and bench: custom made of Arkansas white oak by Cave Springs Cabinetmakers. Lighting: Downlights: Low voltage halogens recessed fixtures by Elite lighting Task, wall and vanity lights: George Kovacs and Eurofase Pendant lights over the kitchen island: Castore Suspension by Artemide Window shades: Hunter Douglas “duette” Automatic control shades: Lutron House automation and Controls: Control 4. HVAC: High efficiency Lennox Heat pump Appliances: Refrigerator: Jenn-Air Range: GE monogram Range hood: Eurostyle Dishwasher: Jenn-Air Drawer dishwasher: Fisher & Paykel Plumbing: Toilets: Toto Kitchen Sink: Blanco Kitchen faucets: Blanco Garbage disposer: Insinkerator Bathroom sinks: Duravit Bathroom faucets, showers fixtures: Hudson Reed, UK Powder room faucets and showers: Axor by Philippe Starck |
