Introduction
It's been a year since Work5hop was founded. It's time to reflect on where we started, where we are, and where we're going. Most design firms don't assess progress on any kind of regular basis. Those which do certainly don't share it. We will. Why? We believe that trust is the very core of your relationship with us, whether you're our client, a consultant who works with us, or merely someone who is interested in who we are and what we're up to. Communicating openly about status and intentions is important in any relationship. So that's our intention.
People
We're starting with people, because that's the heart of everything else. Having the best people (and by best, we mean lots of things, including the abilities to communicate, design, manage, and build) means that we're on the right track. Big win here: we've grown more quickly than we ever thought possible. That's huge for our capabilities, range of projects, and what it represents in terms of our ability to grow in the future. We didn't expect to be able to grow as quickly as we did, so to be able to do so in a sustainable fashion is a major victory.
We're also ahead of schedule on some other people-related things. We're certified by the South Texas Regional Certification Authority (STRCA) as a woman-owned business and an emerging small business, both of which are helpful in pursuing public work. State certification as a historically underutilized business (HUB) is underway, and we hope to receive that soon. We stayed involved in the community through volunteering with the AIA and the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), too.
What We Do
Lots of projects -- over 30 different projects for close to 20 clients. Not just lots, but lots of interesting projects! From renovations of and additions to houses (including several homes in historic districts), to important civic projects (Stinson Field, Brackenridge Park master plan), to huge buildings that will be around longer than we will (UTMB East Plant and DHCS projects), to a small apartment building and a museum concept, we've done a ton of stuff. So that's good. And we're doing well in working on the kinds of projects we'd like to work on, which boils down to design-focused public projects, houses, and commercial projects. We've also had some great clients, which is even more important than having fun projects.
But architecture, planning, and interiors aren't everything. As our name indicates, Work5hop was established to blend design services with fabrication, product design, construction, and related activities. Year One was difficult in that regard -- we've done a few things (a light fixture, a custom marble table design, some things for the office), but we haven't made a huge amount of progress. That's due in part to the success of design services. More time spent working on projects means less time available to build stuff. So that's a reasonable tradeoff in getting started, but we're still dedicated to more than just professional services.
Accomplishments and Publicity
We've done a few things worthy of public note:
• We won a design competition (with HiWorks Architecture) to enhance the new control tower at Stinson Field
• We've had an article published in the Rivard Report about the Stinson competition, as well as had several other mentions in the Rivard Report
• Jay was interviewed by Urban Home Magazine for an article about working with historic homes
• We've had an article published in the Rivard Report about the Stinson competition, as well as had several other mentions in the Rivard Report
• Jay was interviewed by Urban Home Magazine for an article about working with historic homes
• We've successfully navigated the waters at San Antonio's HDRC with a couple of projects, plus passed several others through the city permitting process
So What's Next?
A bunch of stuff, from relatively small to potentially ginormous. A lot of it is either under development or under wraps, but we want to share some of it:
• Continue to do good work and to build relationships. Always. Also, work to improve our work and relationships. Always.
• 2016 is the year that we're going to get a handle on product design. That's not to say that that picture is going to be complete, but you'll see some things for sale and we'll start working on a design identity for what we make.
• Website redesign! This actually went live just after our actual first anniversary, so if you're reading this, you're looking at it. Tip: play around with the links at the top a little bit. It's made our project experience much more accessible, and there are a lot of other improvements which will be switched on once we make progress on retail stuff.
• Keep growing and find a new home. Our Tobin Hill studio has been great, but we can't add people and stay here. We're hoping that 2016 is the year we find the place we'll be for our next chapter.
• Tours. What? Tours. Online tours using your phone. We've built a mobile-focused website where we can publish self-guided online tours. Wanna learn more about Brackenridge Park history? Got it. Want a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum Reach? Yep. Guide to the best bars on or near the river? That too. Look for that to go live once a few things get ironed out.
Wrap
Thanks for supporting us. Thanks for working with us. Thanks for reading our website articles, trusting us with your projects, and challenging and inspiring us. We're grateful for the opportunities we've had and for the relationships we've built. We hope you feel the same.
