Callaghan Horiuchi - Marks One Year of Arvest at Ledger - Bentonville - United States

2025-11-17

One year after opening its doors, Arvest at Ledger continues to redefine the modern workplace as a hybrid-ready, future-forward headquarters. Designed by New York–based architecture studio Callaghan Horiuchi, the project reflects Arvest’s evolution from a traditional brick-and-mortar institution to a technology-driven organization. Occupying a 40,000-square-foot floor within Ledger—a six-story mixed-use building in the heart of Downtown Bentonville—the project represents a bold reimagining of the office as a dynamic tool to attract talent, foster innovation, and build community.

“The project required the integration of multiple programmatic typologies into a cohesive and flexible design framework that could support both immediate and long-term organizational needs,” said Christian Callaghan, Partner at Callaghan Horiuchi. “It integrates collaboration, focus, and restoration into a unified environment—embodying institutional culture while preparing it for the future.”

From Arvest's perspective, the project marks an important step in reimagining how its associates connect, collaborate, and innovate. "Arvest at Ledger represents more than a new workplace - it reflects how our organization is evolving for the future," said Brad Crain, Regional Executive for Enhanced Banking Services. "This space captures the spirit of innovation, flexibility, and community that defines who we are and where we are headed as a company."

The space programming was shaped by a research-driven approach, combining leadership interviews, workflow analyses, and behavioral mapping, which informed an activity-based planning strategy that organizes the workplace into five typologies: Team Homes for collaboration, Focus Spaces for quiet work, Collaboration Spaces for hybrid teamwork, Experimental Spaces for testing ideas, and Amenity Spaces for gathering and restoration. This flexible framework allows employees to move seamlessly between modes of work, choosing environments that best support their tasks as needs shift throughout the day. Technology integration—including dual displays, eye-level cameras, and interactive capture systems—ensures remote colleagues remain fully connected.

“From the start, Arvest at Ledger was designed with nature in mind,” said Haruka Horiuchi, Partner at Callaghan Horiuchi. “Biophilic environments are proven to reduce stress, improve focus, and nurture creativity. For Arvest at Ledger, these principles form the foundation for a workplace that feels alive, restorative, and connected to something beyond the building itself.”

Grounded in human-centered design, with wellness and biophilia as guiding principles, the interiors feature a wide-ranging set of strategies to support individual well-being, while rooting occupants in the greater natural landscape of Northwest Arkansas. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrap the entire floor plate, offering 360-degree access to natural light, while daylight-simulating skylights bring the qualities of outdoor light into enclosed meeting rooms. The palette of finishes reinforces this connection to nature: access flooring in natural oak and carpet tiles in organic textures, colors, and patterns create calming environments, while area rugs are cleanly manufactured with natural materials.

Along the walls, hand-drawn draperies in soft fabrics and recycled materials provide visual and acoustic privacy, while rich hues offer respite from digital screens. A custom “flow” wallcovering with hand-sewn felt accents, inspired by the movement of water, creates a serene backdrop to built-in booths. Large-scale, digitally printed wall coverings, evoking hand-painted landscapes, bring a touch of the outdoors to spaces without daylight. Handcrafted tiles in terracotta tones reference Arkansas’s red rock terrain.

Acoustics and millwork extend this biophilic narrative. Meeting rooms lined with recycled PET felt panels reduce noise, while larger collaboration spaces feature sculptural acoustic ceilings with free-floating elements evocative of birds in flight. Countertops clad in terrazzo, custom millwork and planters made from locally sourced materials, and booths upholstered in green-certified fabrics reaffirm a commitment to sustainability. Twelve months since its opening, Arvest at Ledger has proven itself as a workplace that transcends traditional office design—balancing flexibility and functionality with a profound sense of well-being. Employees have embraced the ability to move between spaces, the integration of nature into daily routines, and the balance between digital connectivity and in-person collaboration.

About Callaghan Horiuchi

Founded in 2020, Callaghan Horiuchi is a New York–based architecture and design studio led by partners Christian Callaghan and Haruka Horiuchi, who bring over 25 years of combined experience in research-driven, human-centered design. The studio is agile by design—able to take on projects of any scale, from a finely detailed staircase to a campus or cultural institution.

With a diverse portfolio spanning cultural spaces, commercial buildings, laboratories, campuses, luxury hotels, and flexible workplaces, Callaghan Horiuchi approaches each project with flexibility, creativity, and hands-on collaboration. Guided by a belief that architecture should both exceed expectations and enrich the human experience, the firm delivers projects that unite design excellence, technical expertise, and client vision.

Photo credit: Halkin Mason Photography