Two modern wooden cabins with metal roofs sit among tall grass and trees, marked with the numbers 02 and 03, under a partly cloudy sky.

August 7, 2026

Words: Lisa Di Venuta

Photography: Matt Kisiday

This Institution For Veterans Is Designed With Healing In Mind

This tuition-free institution, which trains veterans for post-service health and wellness careers, is something of a departure for luxury hospitality–focused Workshop/APD. But the firm’s trademark centering on human connection, storytelling, and meaningful experience is nonetheless evident throughout the project, a multiphase endeavor encompassing everything from master planning to the designing of housing and education facilities. Black standing seam–steel siding ensures the buildings recede into the campus grounds, an 800-acre Ozark ranch dotted with hiking trails. Trauma-informed principles and a zenlike palette of light timber, polished concrete, and glass distinguish the amenities, among them a greenhouse and a teaching kitchen.

Interested in learning more about Interior Design’s 2026 Giants of Design? Check out our reports for Top 100 Giants, Rising Giants, and Hospitality Giants.

A social centerpiece is the 7,250-square-foot mess hall, a gabled volume soaring 28 feet. Ample glazing maximizes circadian daylighting, smoked-oak acoustic panels mitigate overstimulation, and residential furnishings like Crate & Barrel dining tables and low-slung BluDot sofas foster familial comfort. Just beyond the glazed curtain wall, a cedar brise-soleil marks the transition to an open-air amphitheater. Next up for the firm and the facility: An 80,000-square-foot expansion, with state-of-the-art labs for vocational training, will soon increase capacity from 208 to 400 student-veterans.

University of Health & Performance, Gentry, Arkansas by Wordshop/ADP, Hospitality Giants #77

  • Modern building with large glass windows and wooden beams, surrounded by green landscaping and tiered concrete seating steps.
  • Modern lounge with tan leather sofas, dark wood walls, large windows, and minimalist decor; trees and greenery visible outside.
  • Two modern wooden cabins with metal roofs sit among tall grass and trees, marked with the numbers 02 and 03, under a partly cloudy sky.
  • Spacious dining hall with wooden tables, metal chairs, tall windows, and a wood-paneled ceiling overlooking green trees outside.

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