Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Music Education Center Recognized Nationally

Cleveland, Ohio - WER Architects has received an Outstanding Project Award in Learning By Design Magazine’s Fall 2025 Architecture and Interior Design Awards of Excellence.

WER Architects design of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Education Center, in Little Rock, AR, has been recognized as an award-winning benchmark facility for its incorporation of next generation learning space design and planning methodologies. The built environment characteristics found in this project are worthy of replication by other educators and design professionals who create, have oversight of, and operate spaces for learning.

All submissions to the Fall 2025 awards program were peer-reviewed by a jury of vetted education design professionals. Projects such as the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Education Center are scored on six submission criteria: Design Challenges and Innovation; Sustainability and Social Impact; Interior Architecture/Design; Next Generation Learning; Functional Design/Effective Space Planning; and Community Needs. The judges determine each project’s worthiness, unique qualities, and the architectural design and planning concepts that were successfully implemented.

Learning By Design’s jury of five education, architecture, and facility design experts applauded WER Architects for its accomplishment in designing the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Education Center.

The Jury comments about this project included: “The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Music Education Center is a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind facility that broadens community access to arts and culture amid declining national funding trends. Its immersive design fosters creativity and connection, with subtle details like exterior curtain folds adding meaningful character. The project sets a powerful example of how architecture can sustain and revitalize arts institutions through clear form, economical materials, poetic interiors, and expertly integrated acoustics tailored to every space.”

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Stella Boyle Smith Music Education Center will be featured in the print and digital version of the October 2025 edition of Learning By Design Magazine. To access the digital edition, visit learningbydesignmagazine.com