The Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Campus Expansion called for a building exterior that could connect multiple campus areas, support a modern pediatric care environment and create a bold first impression for patients, families and caregivers.
IWR delivered the $10.3 million total building enclosure scope for key expansion areas at Arkansas Children’s Golisano Campus in Little Rock, including:
The work brought together curtainwall, punched windows, formed metal wall panels and custom aluminum composite material panels into one cohesive exterior system.
Delivered through a design-assist process, IWR engaged with the work before the design was complete. Early involvement became critical as the team balanced design development, value engineering and procurement on a compressed timeline.
“The ACH Campus Expansion has an almost kinetic feel to the façade,” said Eric Youngblood, Vice President of IWR. “As you move around the building, the exterior presents in new ways. Translating that idea into something constructable is where IWR’s design-assist role made a difference.”
The façade’s visual movement came from shifting profiles, colors and depths across the exterior. Custom-concave ACM panels created a scalloped read, while formed metal wall panels used multiple profiles and colors in a pattern designed to appear natural from the pedestrian view. The result is an exterior that changes with light, shadow and angle.
Behind that visual effect was extensive technical coordination. IWR helped align dissimilar glazing and cladding systems, resolve transitions between materials and make sweeping geometry near the bridge and canopy ready for field installation. Much of the glass and glazing scope was prefabricated and unitized off-site, improving quality and supporting field efficiency.
IWR also used Rhino, BIM modeling and Autodesk Build to interpret design intent and translate it to the field. Digital modeling helped the team evaluate complex geometry before installation, while Autodesk Build centralized drawings, RFIs, shop drawings, progress photos and field updates.
In the field, IWR coordinated daily to sequence the work, manage transitions and maintain quality across multiple enclosure systems. Site-specific safety planning and daily task hazard analyses helped crews identify risks and stay aligned.
“Pulling off this complexity came down to the IWR team’s attention to detail,” said Eric. “Our team was able to accomplish our scope successfully with no rework.”
IWR completed its enclosure scope in March 2026. For IWR, the ACH Campus Expansion demonstrates the value of early collaboration, technical planning and disciplined craftmanship: making an ambitious façade possible, while protecting the important work happening inside.
Pulling off this complexity came down to the IWR team’s attention to detail. Our team was able to accomplish our scope successfully with no rework.
Eric Youngblood, Vice President of IWR
