JB Hunt Connector Building

Type: Amenity Roof, Planter Boxes
Contractor: Nabholz Consturction Architect: MBL Architecture
Soil Provider: Hydrotech
Plant Provider: Sharum Garden Center

Located within the corporate campus of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in Lowell, the AB Connector Building plays an important role in linking workspaces and gathering areas across one of Northwest Arkansas’s most prominent workplaces. Designed to support movement, collaboration, and employee experience, the building provides connections between offices while also offering outdoor spaces that encourage breaks, informal meetings, and moments of respite. Integrating landscape into the rooftop environment reinforces the campus’s broader commitment to thoughtful, people-focused design.

Rather than a traditional continuous green roof, this project features a rooftop terrace system composed of pedestal-mounted pavers paired with large built-in planter boxes. These raised steel planters simulate many of the ecological benefits of a vegetated roof while allowing the space to function as an accessible rooftop amenity. Grasses and hardy plantings help soften the architectural setting while contributing to localized cooling and stormwater interception. The pedestal paver system also creates a durable walking surface while protecting underlying roofing components and improving rooftop drainage performance.

Together, these elements transform the roof into a flexible outdoor environment that blends landscape and architecture. By incorporating planted infrastructure alongside usable terrace space, the Connector Building demonstrates how corporate campuses in Northwest Arkansas can integrate sustainability, employee well-being, and long-term building performance into a cohesive rooftop design.