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Development Density and Financial Sustainability
History, Theory, and Additions
A fair bit of the work we do involves working with historic buildings. This is becoming a more salient reality for many architects. Our cities are aging, downtowns are being revitalized, and there's ...
Project Brief: Texas A&M University at Galveston Master Plan
Housing Economics
Stinson Field's Wings Over Stinson
As you might remember from our last post, on this topic, we won a 2015 competition to design what were euphemistically, but accurately, termed architectural enhancements for the newly designed contro...
Brackenridge Park Master Planning
The Process, Part 3: Things You Should Know About Construction
The Process, Part 2: What's This Design Thing All About?
This second part in our series about the design and construction process on small projects is all about design itself.  Design is the fun part, both for you and for us.  This is the second-best stage...
The Process, Part 1: So You've Decided to Hire a Designer
Old Red Medical Museum Concept
Project Brief: Olympia Grill League City
Our involvement with the Kriticos family, owners of Olympia Grill, began when Jay Louden (then with Ford, Powell & Carson) worked on the their second location, at Galveston's Pier 21.  Ten years late...
The Process, Part 4: Frequently Asked Questions
What You Need to Know About Reclaimed Wood
Opinion: The Public Realm
San Antonio has seen significant increases in property values over the past three years.  That affects more than just your property tax: public policy adapts as well to address the changes in actual ...
Stinson Field Control Tower
Collateral Design: Principles
Historic Homes: Advanced Class
What, you thought it was that easy ?  Nope.  Those were just the basics.  What, you've already bought the house?  Well, good for you.  Time to get serious about this.  Unless you want to just hand th...
Collateral Design: Thermal Delight in Texas
Historic Homes: Basic Do's and Don'ts
Collateral Design: Complexity and Contradiction
This second in a series of blog posts rescued from digital dust tackles the question of what complex really means for modern architecture.  As technology and aesthetics have changed, we've traded tra...
Collateral Design: Decay and Renewal
Essay: Gentrification
Wood and Its Relatives
I promise that talking about wood isn't boring.  It's one of those things that seems pretty simple, until you've worked with it.  There are three basic classifications of wood-based materials out the...
Essay: Appearances Don't Matter
Tesla! Solar! Roof!
220 West Fair Oaks
220 West Fair Oaks is an Alamo Heights home built in the 1940s.  Work5hop collaborated with with Homes by Estate, a local interior design firm, on a comprehensive renovation and addition.  Click thro...
Prototyping: Copper Pendant Fixture
A Day In the Life: A Visit to the Precast Plant
UTMB's East Plant: MORE POWER
We've developed a bit of a sub-specialization in thermal energy plants with the completion of UTMB's East Plant.  This is number three for Work5hop's personnel (UTSA's North Thermal Energy Plant and ...
Crafting an Old Fashioned
The History of South Llano River State Park
Modeling Carlos Cortes's San Antonio Grotto
The grotto on the San Antonio River is a one-of-a-kind blending of Carlos Cortes's faux bois artistry with some very unusual architectural and engineering work.  Other pieces have been written on Car...
A Building or a Fork?
The Table Matters and related considerations
W5 Cabinets: cabinets aren't boring.
Work5hop's office is a custom-built studio that combines an office and workshop.  We'll have a series of articles talking about various parts of the building as it continues to evolve; this first one...
Brackenridge by the Numbers
How Big Should My House Be?
Hurricane Harvey Is Coming: Is My House Going to Fall Down?
Is your San Antonio house in danger from Hurricane Harvey or another tropical storm or hurricane?  No, probably not, but there are some things you should take care of to help decrease your risk.
Project Brief: Iris