The largest Episcopal church in the United States is right here in Houston. And it’s getting bigger. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church broke ground earlier this year on a $55 million expansion on its campus in the affluent Tanglewood area. Jackson and Ryan Architects designed the new buildings, which include a 900-seat Parish Life Center; it will host the church’s popular contemporary services and events like concerts and speakers. Other new buildings include Children’s Ministry, Music, and a Pastoral Care Center. The existing 1959 church building is being renovated into Christ Chapel, a smaller 250-seat sanctuary for baptisms, funerals, weddings, and other services. Construction started earlier in 2019 and is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2020. Tellepsen Builders is the general contractor, and also built the majority of buildings on the campus, including the original sanctuary.
During this time of Advent as we prepare for Christmas, several PRISM families were out in the community to serve others. Angels of Light is a cherished Second Baptist Church family tradition held across all six campuses. Jing’s family and several of the PRISM member’s families volunteered at the Cypress campus event. Angels of Light 2019 served 7,603 angels and their families from the inner-city and surrounding communities with a dinner, show, gifts, and groceries to needy families. Sarah’s family also participated in Wreaths Across America - Houston, with the group Impact A Hero, at Houston National Cemetery. They placed Remembrance wreaths on the graves of veterans who have served and sacrificed so much. Vivian’s family volunteered in the Fort Bend community at Santa’s Exchange/Toys for Tots which provides toys to more than 5,000 children. And Tracy’s family poured back into their local church by helping with the Preschoolers, greeting and directing traffic so those in the community could enjoy a wonderful Christmas concert this holiday season. We've all cherished this time with our families, amid the frenzy of holiday activities, and remember even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others.
Braun Enterprises has built a thriving business on this contrarian approach. The developer started out in 1989 by acquiring and repositioning light industrial properties and leasing them to stabilization. They shifted their focus in 2009 and targeted distressed properties, expanding from Houston into Austin and San Antonio. In 2013, Braun began focusing on inner-city locations prime for development, thereby revitalizing neighborhoods along the way. Since 2013, the firm has repositioned over 50 properties in Houston’s inner loop, home to such renowned names as Torchy’s, Prohibition, and Killen’s.
Visiting built projects is another way we are both thankful and humbled by the work we do for clients. We are entrusted with bringing the project vision to life through our renderings and animations, sometimes years before the first bit of dirt is turned. As often as possible, we visit projects once completed to see how the vision came to fruition. Every project has an élan vital, whether it’s the materiality of the interiors, the entrance approach, or the site context – something is the designer’s intentional driving force, the heart of the building. We love to see how well we captured it! Here is a look at the vision vs. reality of two recent projects that got a lot of attention in our city, Buffalo Heights and Pearl Marketplace at Midtown, by developers Midway Companies and The Morgan Group respectively.
This year we hit the road to visit our clients and we plan to do even more in the future. It’s one of the ways we thank our clients for their business. We love to meet the teams we work with and see first-hand their beautifully designed offices, experience the team dynamics, and have a candid conversation about what’s going on in their world and how they are making a difference. It’s also a great way for us to better understand clients’ goals when working with us. We recently stopped to see CDA Architects, The Hanover Company, W Partnership, Hall Equities Group, Briggo, and Identity Architects. Thanks to all for welcoming us!
It might resemble your local shopping mall, but you won’t find clothing boutiques or a food court at Shadelands Sportsmall. This 215,000 sq. ft sports training super center just east of Berkeley, California is home to a variety of premier sports programs housed under the same roof. Hall Equities Group developed and manages the Shadelands SportsMall. The philosophy is to co-locate sports programs in a facility large enough for each program to have its own space to focus on their sport-specific fundamentals and provide complementary services that benefit all programs. The sports offerings include soccer, basketball, gymnastics and dance, swimming, baseball, volleyball, taekwondo, yoga, strength training, and speed/running and agility development. Phase I of Shadelands, a basketball fieldhouse, opened in 2016. PRISM worked with Hall Equities Group to produce renderings and an animation for Phase II, anchored by a 100,000 sq. ft COPA Soccer Training Center complete with expansive fitness and performance areas. Other tenants will include Encore Gymnastics, American Swim Academy, Mike Murphy Baseball, Vibe Volleyball, Sparta Taekwondo, Raga Yoga, and Genius Juicery.
Houston real estate investor and developer Ancorian is adding Healthcare to its project portfolio mix. Construction is underway on the River Oaks Surgical Center, a 130,000 s.f. mixed-use facility inside the Houston loop on Westheimer, at the southern edge of the tony River Oaks neighborhood. Gensler designed the contemporary glass curtain wall building. The project includes 55,000 s.f. of rentable space, with medical offices and a surgery center on the two upper floors, complementary retail services at street level, and three floors of parking integrated in between. Burton Construction is the general contractor. The development is scheduled to open in 2020. Ancorian tapped PRISM to develop renderings for the leasing package and for public relations. The River Oaks Surgical Center is 70% pre-leased, and the anchor tenant is Upper Kirby Surgery Center, a partnership of prominent area specialists. The Ancorian name continues to proliferate around Houston; they are the developer behind the successful East Village project in EaDo.
Powers Brown Architecture has risen to prominence from humble roots; their early projects centered on what the firm called ‘neglected territory’ – project types, construction technologies, and design business strategies ignored by mainstream and vanguard architectural practice. By leveraging the opportunity within every project, the firm has grown considerably since its founding in 1999. Powers Brown has long been an evangelist of tilt-wall construction and is a nationally recognized expert in the delivery method. With this unique perspective, Powers Brown has since developed an extensive and incredibly diverse portfolio, ranging from commercial small smart boxes to working with OMA on the most recent scheme for the adaptive reuse of the massive Houston Central Post Office Building. PRISM has been working with Powers Brown since 2015, helping the firm communicate their project design vision to owners, developers, lenders, and community groups.
At a max cost of $50,000 for 30 square feet, this plot may not be the best value option, but at least you can say Howard Hughes is in your neighborhood. Houston’s beautiful and historic Glenwood Cemetery has some of the most expensive land in the area. The cemetery spans 88 acres along Buffalo Bayou, between Memorial and Washington Ave, and is one of Houston’s densest greenspaces outside of Memorial Park. The gently rolling hills are covered with mature hardwoods interspersed with deep ravines that flow to the bayou. It is the resting place for such Houston icons as William P. Hobby, Denton Cooley, Bob McNair, George Hermann, and yes, Howard Hughes. The cemetery has been expanded and upgraded considerably since 1983, when Richard Ambrus became its executive director. In 2018, the Board of Directors approved the latest enhancement, a Family & Visitors Center. Dillon Kyle Architecture designed the 12,000 s.f. gathering place. It will have room for events, research space for genealogists, and staff office space. Most importantly, it will have space for families to gather before and after funerals. Given the cemetery’s location adjacent to the new Memorial Park walkways, it is a hidden gem of natural beauty that draws plenty of regular walkers and visitors; it’s even become a tourist destination. The center will be a place to welcome all. Fundraising is underway; roughly $7 million of the $15 million construction cost has been raised so far. PRISM worked with Dillon Kyle to complete THIS ANIMATION for the capital campaign. Despite the cemetery’s fame and the fact that it is 148 years old, the best news of all may be that there is still enough land within the cemetery for approximately 60 years of inventory.
Developer Stillwater Capital is growing its Austin portfolio with two new multifamily projects. One project will be located on the northern edge of the city, in the growing suburb of Leander. The other, The Monroe, is an infill project within Austin’s designated opportunity zone of the Riverside area. It is conveniently sited within just a few miles of Austin’s Central Business District, downtown, and Bergstrom International Airport. The 4-story complex will wrap around a large, resort-style pool and courtyard with grilling stations. The Class A interiors feature quartz countertops, laminate wood floors, and contemporary finishes. Residents will enjoy the state-of-the-art fitness center, Amazon Hub Package System, and onsite dog park. PRISM worked with the Stillwater Capital team to complete renderings for use in their marketing campaigns. The architect is Steinberg Dickey Collaborative, LLP and interior designer is makrDESIGN.