新年快乐, or Happy New Year! As in the past four years, Jing traveled to China to celebrate Chinese New Year with family and friends. An extra special bonus, the timing coincides with the birthdays of both her parents – even more to celebrate! 2019 is the Year of the Pig. People born in Pig years (1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019) are energetic and always enthusiastic, very realistic, and motivated to work hard for material pleasures. The trip is also a great opportunity to see new construction from the world’s most prominent architects and engineers. Jing was able to ride on the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge, the longest sea bridge in the world. At almost 34 miles and a cost of $20 billion, the bridge provides a direct connection between Hong Kong and mainland trade hubs. The bridge cuts travel time by 2/3, connecting people and industries faster than ever. Jing took the bridge to Macau to see the City of Dreams mega-sized casino and resort. The newest jewel to open there is the Morpheus hotel by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). Three undulating voids puncture the center of the building and provide a clear view through it. More striking is the façade, covered in what appears as a geometric grid. The rhythmic white bands are actually the structural system, or exoskeleton as the ZHA calls it. It is one of the last projects designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid, and truly a masterpiece. See all the pictures from Jing's trip here.
Braun Enterprises is continuing their redevelopment streak of close-in, undervalued parcels. Their latest new retail center is at 2001 W. 34th Street in Garden Oaks. The area, a Houstonia magazine 2013 pick for Houston’s 25 Hottest Neighborhoods, is getting a new center with two buildings, 10,050 sf and 6,050 sf, with a central patio between them. Osborn & Vane Architects commissioned our team to do the renderings.
Florida’s good neighbor award may go to developer Time Equities this year. The firm planned to redevelop an aging office park on a 10-acre site south of downtown West Palm Beach into $1+ million luxury condos. After the community voiced concerns over initial plans for 15-story contemporary towers designed by Helmut Jahn, the developer turned to Miami’s MSA Architects for something completely different. Plans were approved and construction is underway for a cluster of low-rise apartment buildings with some ground floor retail.
We closed out 2018 on a high note! As we’ve done for the last four years, PRISM again donated 10% of profits earned on all new projects commissioned during the month of December to the MD Anderson Children’s Art Project. We produced 15 new projects last month and want to recognize all the clients who enabled our donation to this worthwhile organization. THANK YOU! We made this special video in your honor.
Home inspection on the range
Idaho’s Treasure Valley is a picturesque lowland area in the southwest corner of the state, surrounded by national forests. It is also where a small company has a big vision to change the home inspection industry with an Uber-like interface. HouseCheck created a model to standardize the process and believes it can manage 80% of all home inspections in the U.S. National HouseCheck enlisted architect Richard Kaufman of the Kaufman Collaborative to develop their future home. Conceptual plans call for a 25-30 acre master plan for the corporate headquarters campus building of about 200,000 s.f. to house 1,000 employees.
High-end healthcare
Hedwig Place is a five-story, 102,474 square feet Class A medical office development located on a two-acre site south of Interstate 10 in Hedwig Village. It is the first new office development for the affluent area in more than 30 years per Bisnow. The building includes a ground floor restaurant and a six-story freestanding parking garage.
INOVA proves its name
INOVA 3 Dry Creek will be the newest build-to-suit addition to the INOVA corporate campus once they secure the right tenant. Located 20 miles southwest of Denver International Airport, the campus is part of a master planned mixed-use development with several Class A offices, multifamily, a luxury hotel, and flex properties. The five-story office contains almost 261,000 s.f. of flexible floor plates with nine-foot windows and includes a fitness center, luxury “country club” bathrooms, a food truck court, and a rooftop terrace with 360-degree views. It is designed for LEED Silver certification. Powers Brown Architecture designed the office and its counterparts – INOVA I and INOVA II.
Full STEAM ahead for River Oaks Baptist School
It’s back-to-school time. For growing educational institutions, the capital campaign season is ongoing. River Oaks Baptist School is in the final stage of fundraising for their new middle school building. Designed by Jackson & Ryan Architects, the school is designed for a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) curriculum, to maximize student engagement, interdisciplinary study, and active learning. In addition to traditional spaces like classrooms and the library, there is also a maker space, a flexible blue box theatre, a robotics hub, and several “home base” lounges for grade-level use. A new Leadership Center serves as the main reception area and administrative center. Click here to see the animation PRISM completed to help River Oaks Baptist School with their fundraising.
New apartment option for Longhorns
The University of Texas at Austin is a prime example of the current boom in student housing construction. An Axiometrics report in this ULI article estimates 1,486 new beds for the UT system this year, the third highest in the U.S. PRISM is working with architecture firm The Clerkley Watkins Group to promote a new complex that will contain 227 beds, to be completed in time for the Fall 2019 semester. Villas on Nueces is designed around the goals of luxury, affordability, and privacy. The animation by PRISM showcases the modern amenities of common areas, like an open-air spa mezzanine with a hot tub and grill kitchen, and a high-end fitness center. Click here to see the full animation. Living units range from studios to four-bedroom units; multiple renderings of the bedrooms illustrate the development's key differentiator, operable dividers between the beds for more privacy within shared bedrooms. Developer Brad Zucker registered the project in the City of Austin S.M.A.R.T. Housing program and will have 10 units designated as affordable. The complex will have 99 total units and parking for 267 cars, at an estimated construction cost of $18 million.
The Better Business Bureau of Houston recognized PRISM Renderings with a 2018 Winner of Distinction Award; the award is based on overall company excellence and quality in the workplace. The judges for this award reviewed company business practices, client relationships, and reputation in the community, among other criteria. “One of our core values is Servant Attitude. To us, this means always focusing on the end user and acting with kindness and consideration.