What are some creditable (more interesting) firms in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move there in about a year, after grad school, and would like to do some research.
i hear austin's really hot in the summer and the traffic is really bad and the transit really sucks and that the natives rip california license plates off of cars
What are some creditable (more interesting) firms in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move there in about a year, after grad school, and would like YOU to do some research FOR ME.
Where are some credible (disease free) hookers in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move ther ein about a year, after grad school, and would like to find some ACTION.
ochona,
how is the scene down in austin for those looking with about 10 years of experience? i should be licensed rather soon, as well.
also, are you in austin or houston?
i guess the bad karma from my previous post struck me down.
anyhow, i would suggest that anyone wanting to go to any other city in the US should:
1. visit the city in question first -- do you KNOW how hot austin is in august? because we're all really tired of hearing people complain about it, they should have done their research. and austin is like a balmy paradise in the summer compared to houston.
2. go to the local AIA website and spend a few hours hitting links. aia houston and austin both have good sites for that.
in the interest of reversing my karma flow, i will submit that there are many interesting firms in austin, and then direct you to 1. and 2. houston has some great firms too.
oh and
3. if you move here, realize that you are moving to TEXAS. i have lived in texas nearly all my life, i grew up here, and i'm tired of people moving here and then complaining about it. i'm tired of hearing how much you dislike country music. i'm tired of hearing your bewilderment that the gravy on your chicken-fried steak is white. i'm tired of your amazement that there are 1 or 2 people here with brains. and if you talk one more time about how the wild-west attitude "scares" you...
i have to admit i've been there several times and loved it. i have quite a few friends from down there and living there currently....
anyway, i'll search the aia austin site....have you found that the salary numbers on a place like salary.com ring true (in new york it is pretty questionable).
i sure did love me that chicken fried steak and some of the best tex-mex ever when i was in austin last october. love that town, and i didn't hear any country music to tell you the truth, they sure love their independent rock bands.
being from maryland, people are a lot more relaxed down there....
Please define creditable (more interesting). Where are you working now? If you want big corporate then there are more in H-town. If you want small, design oriented, cutting edge move to LA or NYC. The two are very different places, so I would say it's more of a lifestyle choice than a work choice.
oh yeah, good point, map. i forgot that good design doesn't happen between the west coast and east coast. silly me.
so there you have it. if you want to be a golf-shirt wearin', republican-votin', SUV-drivin' corprit architect, go to houston. but if you want to be really cool and really make a large-scale impact on architecture, go design restaurant interiors in LA or studio apartments in NY.
mmm, chicken-fried steak sounds good right about now.
all acerbium aside, austin is a damn fine place if you own a form of motorized transportation. i recommend a vespa, naturally.
the weather is pleasant, the food is great, the people are friendly (unless you brag about how great NY and LA are), the scenery is nice...and you know what, in the last 15-20 years we've been building a critical mass of good architects and architecture.
You exaggerate the heat of Texas. When I lived in Houston I acclimated to the heat and humidity. 95 degree and 95% humidity was what I was used to. At least it never got really cold.
Here in the Mpls we push near 100 every summer, then have the occasional -20 every winter. That's a big temperature variance. Your body doesn't know what to do. Good thing we have a solution to all problems, drink to stay warm, and drink to cool off.
I think North Dakota of all places have the wildest temperature swings of any state. They have something like 120 degrees and -40 on the record books in Fargo.
I grew up in Austin and hate country music...go figure.
Austin is a nice town, but nothing what it was, and until it deals with its ever growing traffic issues, you will not find me moving back.
I am moving back to Houston though for grad school. The added museum culture and veriety of architecture is what lured me. And, the traffic in and around Rice and within the loop is not bad and they have fixed all the worst freeway snafus (galeria 610/59 mix)
Austin is great, if you don't have to drive...so live near where you want to work...it will make a ton of difference.
i like austin, never lived there but the roads are nice if you have a motorcycle. =)
houston is boring, hot, humid, and spread apart IMHO.
regardless it is a really good place if you are a self
starter, there is a lot of growth going on with a lot
of potential for good &/or sustainable architecture.
not as ahead of the game in sustainability as austin
same with architecture and dallas, but that is good
in the sense that you will be in the forefront leading
the pack.
and dont forget the wonderful beach that is so close.
It's not where I'm from, but I did spend the last three years here for my M.Arch. The summers ARE bloody hot and humid. It's that type of weather where you sweat the moment that you step out of the shower...
Think of it like summer in New York, but without the smell.
Or Boston without the... Boston.
The rest of the year makes up for it. Aside from a freak ice storm the winters are very mild, with fall and spring being ideal. The city itself is a great place, and I'll certainly consider moving back here after a few years.
Firms? Does size matter?
Dick Clark has a good reputation at the UT SoA + Austin in General. Small enough that you're not buried with redlines. I have a number of friends who work for them and enjoy the work and atmosphere. Probably one of the better known firms in the city. Downtown location is also nice.
PSP is a larger, more corporate office. Some people like it, others don't. It matters on your barometer for being a corportae widget.
Black + Vernooy does a large amount of Urban Design and would be the resident firm headed up by the knowledgeable old-school. As of last week they were looking for Design Architects. Office is also well located.
Specht-Harpman is very small, tied to UT and has a small branch in NYC. They do mostly highend residential. They're also looking for people.
miro rivera : very good work and highly regarded. also very hard to get a foot in the door. juan miro came to austin with caesar pelli to design michael dell's house, stayed to open his own firm and teach at ut. not known for paying their interns well.
bercy chen : getting a lot of really good press as they were named in arch record's vanguard. their work is creative and different than most of the other firms in the area (there is definitely an "austin vernacular" of limestone, ipe wood, and steel framing). all younger guys--very sharp and ambitious.
michael hsu design office : real up and comers. lot of work, michael worked for oma back in the 90s, then dick clark. smart guy and a good designer. rapidly expanding office that pays better than most firms its size.
webber studio : another up and coming firm. david webber, who use to work for lake flato, is a great guy: very supportive of his employees and ambitious. the work is mixed but seems to be getting better as the firm is changing direction (it was webber hanzlik not long ago).
alterstudio : great work but the firm's principle kevin alter is known for being a egotistical dickhead. the work is limited to mid to high end homes (1-3mil) and some smaller duplexes around town. they got one larger commission for the texas hillel but nothing since. kevin is ut's director of the graduate program (he likes to be called dean alter).
krdb : small firm with good, detail oriented work. is also beginning to foray into nonprofit work. cris krager briefly worked with kevin alter, their work is pretty similar to alterstudio.
cottam hargrave : they do both design and metal fabrication, which makes them a unique, hands-on firm in austin.
tom hurt : great designer, same scope of work; mostly mid to high end residential.
mj neal : a one man show at the moment, but possible one of the best designers in austin. a very nice guy as well.
mckinney architects : good work and a bit larger in scale than most of these firms.
*a word about Page Southerland Page * if you can get to work in larry speck's studio, they do some of the best work around (austin city lofts, austin bergstrom airport, the austin convention center, etc). other studios do more typical corporate work, such as healthcare.
Jan 6, 08 10:39 am ·
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Houston or Austin area firms
What are some creditable (more interesting) firms in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move there in about a year, after grad school, and would like to do some research.
Thank you for your input.
i hear austin's really hot in the summer and the traffic is really bad and the transit really sucks and that the natives rip california license plates off of cars
especially the bastards that double park
just had a thread on this. do a search.
What the post should have said...
What are some creditable (more interesting) firms in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move there in about a year, after grad school, and would like YOU to do some research FOR ME.
TRY
A
SEARCH
or better yet...
TRY GOOGLE
at least make an effort and then come back with questions...
What the post really says...
Where are some credible (disease free) hookers in the Houston or Austin, TX area. I plan to move ther ein about a year, after grad school, and would like to find some ACTION.
[url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A458459]
that was beautiful...
link
ochona,
how is the scene down in austin for those looking with about 10 years of experience? i should be licensed rather soon, as well.
also, are you in austin or houston?
that didn't work either.
i guess the bad karma from my previous post struck me down.
anyhow, i would suggest that anyone wanting to go to any other city in the US should:
1. visit the city in question first -- do you KNOW how hot austin is in august? because we're all really tired of hearing people complain about it, they should have done their research. and austin is like a balmy paradise in the summer compared to houston.
2. go to the local AIA website and spend a few hours hitting links. aia houston and austin both have good sites for that.
in the interest of reversing my karma flow, i will submit that there are many interesting firms in austin, and then direct you to 1. and 2. houston has some great firms too.
oh and
3. if you move here, realize that you are moving to TEXAS. i have lived in texas nearly all my life, i grew up here, and i'm tired of people moving here and then complaining about it. i'm tired of hearing how much you dislike country music. i'm tired of hearing your bewilderment that the gravy on your chicken-fried steak is white. i'm tired of your amazement that there are 1 or 2 people here with brains. and if you talk one more time about how the wild-west attitude "scares" you...
austin, btw
it's good
i mean, if you LIKE texas, if you LIKE hot weather, and if you can at least TOLERATE country music...come on down
i have to admit i've been there several times and loved it. i have quite a few friends from down there and living there currently....
anyway, i'll search the aia austin site....have you found that the salary numbers on a place like salary.com ring true (in new york it is pretty questionable).
I believe Truitt is from Texas so he's probably aware of the heat.
i sure did love me that chicken fried steak and some of the best tex-mex ever when i was in austin last october. love that town, and i didn't hear any country music to tell you the truth, they sure love their independent rock bands.
being from maryland, people are a lot more relaxed down there....
great place though.
Please define creditable (more interesting). Where are you working now? If you want big corporate then there are more in H-town. If you want small, design oriented, cutting edge move to LA or NYC. The two are very different places, so I would say it's more of a lifestyle choice than a work choice.
oh yeah, good point, map. i forgot that good design doesn't happen between the west coast and east coast. silly me.
so there you have it. if you want to be a golf-shirt wearin', republican-votin', SUV-drivin' corprit architect, go to houston. but if you want to be really cool and really make a large-scale impact on architecture, go design restaurant interiors in LA or studio apartments in NY.
mmm, chicken-fried steak sounds good right about now.
all acerbium aside, austin is a damn fine place if you own a form of motorized transportation. i recommend a vespa, naturally.
the weather is pleasant, the food is great, the people are friendly (unless you brag about how great NY and LA are), the scenery is nice...and you know what, in the last 15-20 years we've been building a critical mass of good architects and architecture.
You exaggerate the heat of Texas. When I lived in Houston I acclimated to the heat and humidity. 95 degree and 95% humidity was what I was used to. At least it never got really cold.
Here in the Mpls we push near 100 every summer, then have the occasional -20 every winter. That's a big temperature variance. Your body doesn't know what to do. Good thing we have a solution to all problems, drink to stay warm, and drink to cool off.
I think North Dakota of all places have the wildest temperature swings of any state. They have something like 120 degrees and -40 on the record books in Fargo.
I grew up in Austin and hate country music...go figure.
Austin is a nice town, but nothing what it was, and until it deals with its ever growing traffic issues, you will not find me moving back.
I am moving back to Houston though for grad school. The added museum culture and veriety of architecture is what lured me. And, the traffic in and around Rice and within the loop is not bad and they have fixed all the worst freeway snafus (galeria 610/59 mix)
Austin is great, if you don't have to drive...so live near where you want to work...it will make a ton of difference.
Aqua, How long did you live in Houston and how long ago?
Been here my whole life and 95 and 95% is true, but the heat index makes it feel worse.
And don't go near I-10 if you value your sanity. Live near where you want to work in Houston, and you'll only have to drive a little.
*sigh* i miss texas...Balmorhea in August anyone...?
It go up to 50 today in chicago...
i like austin, never lived there but the roads are nice if you have a motorcycle. =)
houston is boring, hot, humid, and spread apart IMHO.
regardless it is a really good place if you are a self
starter, there is a lot of growth going on with a lot
of potential for good &/or sustainable architecture.
not as ahead of the game in sustainability as austin
same with architecture and dallas, but that is good
in the sense that you will be in the forefront leading
the pack.
and dont forget the wonderful beach that is so close.
It's not where I'm from, but I did spend the last three years here for my M.Arch. The summers ARE bloody hot and humid. It's that type of weather where you sweat the moment that you step out of the shower...
Think of it like summer in New York, but without the smell.
Or Boston without the... Boston.
The rest of the year makes up for it. Aside from a freak ice storm the winters are very mild, with fall and spring being ideal. The city itself is a great place, and I'll certainly consider moving back here after a few years.
Firms? Does size matter?
Dick Clark has a good reputation at the UT SoA + Austin in General. Small enough that you're not buried with redlines. I have a number of friends who work for them and enjoy the work and atmosphere. Probably one of the better known firms in the city. Downtown location is also nice.
PSP is a larger, more corporate office. Some people like it, others don't. It matters on your barometer for being a corportae widget.
Black + Vernooy does a large amount of Urban Design and would be the resident firm headed up by the knowledgeable old-school. As of last week they were looking for Design Architects. Office is also well located.
Specht-Harpman is very small, tied to UT and has a small branch in NYC. They do mostly highend residential. They're also looking for people.
y
additional small boutique firms in austin:
miro rivera : very good work and highly regarded. also very hard to get a foot in the door. juan miro came to austin with caesar pelli to design michael dell's house, stayed to open his own firm and teach at ut. not known for paying their interns well.
bercy chen : getting a lot of really good press as they were named in arch record's vanguard. their work is creative and different than most of the other firms in the area (there is definitely an "austin vernacular" of limestone, ipe wood, and steel framing). all younger guys--very sharp and ambitious.
michael hsu design office : real up and comers. lot of work, michael worked for oma back in the 90s, then dick clark. smart guy and a good designer. rapidly expanding office that pays better than most firms its size.
webber studio : another up and coming firm. david webber, who use to work for lake flato, is a great guy: very supportive of his employees and ambitious. the work is mixed but seems to be getting better as the firm is changing direction (it was webber hanzlik not long ago).
alterstudio : great work but the firm's principle kevin alter is known for being a egotistical dickhead. the work is limited to mid to high end homes (1-3mil) and some smaller duplexes around town. they got one larger commission for the texas hillel but nothing since. kevin is ut's director of the graduate program (he likes to be called dean alter).
krdb : small firm with good, detail oriented work. is also beginning to foray into nonprofit work. cris krager briefly worked with kevin alter, their work is pretty similar to alterstudio.
cottam hargrave : they do both design and metal fabrication, which makes them a unique, hands-on firm in austin.
tom hurt : great designer, same scope of work; mostly mid to high end residential.
mj neal : a one man show at the moment, but possible one of the best designers in austin. a very nice guy as well.
mckinney architects : good work and a bit larger in scale than most of these firms.
*a word about Page Southerland Page * if you can get to work in larry speck's studio, they do some of the best work around (austin city lofts, austin bergstrom airport, the austin convention center, etc). other studios do more typical corporate work, such as healthcare.
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