It’s official. Walmart’s “Home Office,” North America’s largest mass timber campus ever constructed, is officially open for business. The enormous project—which used more than 1.5 million cubic feet of timber in its construction—even resulted in the world’s largest retailer acquiring a major share in a mass timber factory to bring the Arkansas headquarters to life.
“Today marks a moment I’ve been dreaming about for years,” said Cindi Marsiglio, the Senior Vice President of Walmart’s Corporate Real Estate division, adding that after lots of planning, groundbreaking ceremonies and hard hat tours, “we’re celebrating the opening of our New Home Office campus in Bentonville. And wow, what a place it is.”
“Countless people poured their hearts into this project to create something extraordinary for our associates and our community. In fact, associates have managed more than 8 million project hours to date – and expected to reach 10 million by the time the campus is fully operational.”
Wood Central understands work on the new campus began in 2017, with the 350-acre vision reimagined during the Covid pandemic: “Our founder, Sam Walton, knew that when we all work together, ideas flourish, and this campus will allow us to keep making a positive difference in our customers’ lives for generations to come,” according to Doug McMillon, Walmart’s current day CEO.
“The state-of-the-art campus represents a multimillion-dollar investment in associate experience environmental leadership, and community development, featuring mass timber construction, smart building technology, offices designed to be power renewable energy and seamless integration with downtown Bentonville.”
“Sustainability and technology also played key roles in every decision,” said Ms Marsiglio: “Our campus is designed to reflect a sustainable future – all buildings are made from mass timber – the largest application of its kind in the U.S. – and are designed to achieve LEED Platinum standards. It includes 1.5 million cubic feet of mass timber, which resulted in about a 15% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional materials.”
Designed by Gensler—who are also behind Under Armour’s new HQ in Baltimore—the campus master plan includes 30 buildings including garages, shops, a hotel, and a fitness centre, distributed across a sprawling campus designed by landscape architect SWA Group to reflect the local Arkansas environment.
“Walmart’s new Home Office is an expression of their culture, values, and identity, which also lies at the heart of their decision to use mass timber at an unprecedented scale across their campus,” according to Gensler Principal Johnny Kousparis who worked with Structural Engineer Fast + Epp and studios Duda|Paine Architect and Page to bring the four neighbourhood precincts to life.
“A neighbourhood planning approach arranges the site into four distinct quads that evolved naturally from site configuration, land typology, and internal roads,” Mr Kousparis told Dezeen yesterday. “Each quad has a unique identity that shapes its landscape, building expression, and experience.”
Why Walmart acquired a large stake in a mass timber factory
In late 2019, Walmart approached Structurlam (now Mercer Mass Timber), pushing for the Canadian pioneer to establish a new plant in Arkansas in the South. “We didn’t know if it was possible to manufacture the product here in Arkansas,” according to Dan Bartlett, Walmat’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, who said Walmart had considered shipping pine from outside the state, or even from a different country. “But the more we looked at it and discussed it, that just didn’t make sense.” At its peak, about one-third of the plant’s production was dedicated to the project, with Structurlam becoming the retail giant’s exclusive timber provider.
- For more information, click here to visit Walmart’s dedicated website outlining the various elements of its “Home Office” project.
