Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness, Bentonville, Arkansas: Photo Tour
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: Large transparent glass walls at the south entrance invite visitors inside. The exposed structural roof, crafted from cross-laminated timber supported by steel beams, adds warmth and texture to the promenade and double-height porch.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: Members arriving at the center enter a 2-story circular rotunda known as the commons. This space features clerestory windows and a large birch tree.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: The materiality of the commons is carried into a circulation spine known as the promenade. Seating areas throughout the building are designed to encourage users to pause, notice, and choose from a range of activities and experiences.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: The aquatics area features three indoor pools—lap, activity, and multipurpose—each illuminated by natural light from clerestory windows. The cross-laminated timber ceiling adds warmth, while acoustic panels in blue and white tones ensure sound control in this expansive space.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: An observation bridge spans the swimming area, providing a vantage point for parents to observe their family members taking lessons or playing. Throughout the building, windows are strategically placed along circulation paths to allow visitors to view activities they might otherwise miss.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: The blue-toned palette of the aquatics node is complemented by warm wood panels that form the stair structure and seating areas. Artistic interpretations of water droplets and curved light fixtures evoke the natural movement of water.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: Indoor sport courts accommodate a variety of activities, including pickleball, tennis, basketball, and volleyball.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: A community network of walking trails integrates the center with the surrounding landscape. High-performance concrete panels, metal panel, and glass facades are accentuated by aluminum fins and extrusions which shade the building from sun exposure.
Tim Hursley
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness: The façade features terra cotta-colored panels and glass, with extrusions shading southern-facing openings from the afternoon sun.
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness, Bentonville, Arkansas
Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness in Bentonville, Ark., aims to redefine what a fitness center can provide members with spaces to gather, learn, reflect, and move to support their health and well-being goals.
Opened in January, the 360,000-square-foot facility is located on the retailer’s home office campus and replaces the existing Walton Life Fitness Center.
Programming of the center aims to make “taking time for yourself” barrier-free, including on-site childcare while parents partake in activities, mobility and recovery resources to prevent injury, and classes including scuba certification.
Home for recreation, health, and self-care
Duda/Paine Architects (Durham, N.C.) worked closely with Walmart to deliver its vision for Whole Health. The center was designed to connect associates to nature by offering views to the outdoors and using natural materials such as mass timber in the central commons, which houses resources for self-care, family support, and community engagement.
Anchor programs including racquet sports, aquatics, recreation, and fitness are laid out on the main circulation path where members can observe educational and mindfulness activities that encourage holistic well-being.
The center also includes lounges and social spaces where members can observe educational, mindfulness, and other activities.
Connecting users to nature through design
The center’s design aesthetic uses simple forms to create the massing of the building with an abundance of windows to provide views to the local landscape.
For example, the indoor tennis façade folds out to produce views of the sky and provide indirect lighting. Windows along the south frame views to the ponds and greenway.
Additionally, the project embraces sustainable design features including energy-efficient façades and building systems and locally sourced materials such as cross-laminated timber in the roof structures.
For a First Look at this project, go here.
