News

We are tremendously honored that David Lake, FAIA and Ted Flato, FAIA have been awarded the 2024 AIA Gold Medal.

This recognition is especially meaningful as we prepare to celebrate Lake|Flato’s 40th anniversary and reflect on four decades of place-based, sustainable and inclusive architecture. Together, David and Ted have built an enduring design practice driven by resonant and sustainable architecture, meaningful collaborations and an unwavering commitment to design excellence. From the firm’s initial ranch houses, to a breadth of work including nature centers, STEM buildings and mixed-use urban developments, David and Ted have continuously pushed the boundaries of architecture, always designing to connect people to the land. Their leadership, tenacity and significant body of work has inspired the next generations of architects within the firm and beyond.

"Through the confluence of nature, beauty, and resilience, Lake and Flato  have made sustainability exciting in a way few other architects have accomplished. The projects they envision have raised the collective consciousness surrounding our climate crisis while simultaneously captivating a broad audience with buildings that are both beautiful and sustainable. While Texas, a region grappling with unprecedented growth and climate change, seems an unlikely place for a firm focused on sustainability to thrive, they have nevertheless helped clients see architecture and sustainability as inextricably linked." - AIA Gold Medal Jury

We are proud to announce Lake|Flato has achieved B Corp certification, joining a select pool of 30 B Corp architecture firms certified across the U.S. committed to balancing financial success with positive environmental and social impact.

Since our founding, Lake|Flato has operated with a strong environmental and social ethos. To demonstrate accountability and further the conversation around social justice and equity, we began tracking and sharing our progress as a firm through the JUST Label offered by the International Living Future Institute. As a continuation of our commitment to equity and accountability, Lake|Flato underwent the rigorous process of pursuing B Corp certification. In June 2023, we became the first Texas-based architecture firm to become a certified B Corporation.

What is B Corp?

B Corp is a global, third party-verified certification that evaluates not only a product or service but also the positive impact of the company itself. Certified corporations – known as B Corps – are global businesses who have met high, defined standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

How did we do it?

The certification process, overseen by the nonprofit B Lab, is rigorous and typically takes multiple years. Certification assesses the impact of a company's business model on five categories: workers, community, environment, customers and governance. To achieve certification, a B Corp must: 

1. Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or more. According to B Lab, the median score is 55. Lake|Flato achieved a score of 104.9.

1. Exhibit transparency by allowing their performance to be measured against B Lab’s standards and be made publicly available online.

1. Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders, and achieve benefit corporation status if available in their jurisdiction.

These steps demonstrate that a B Corp is following a fundamentally different governance philosophy than a traditional shareholder-centered corporation. To encourage continuous improvement and long-term resiliency, B Corps are are required to undergo the verification process every three years.

Why did we do it?

Key to improving environmental and social commitments is the continuous act of tracking, recording and benchmarking data. Our journey has allowed us to evaluate where we are internally and compare our impact with organizations around the world and across many different industries.

The B Corp community currently includes over 6,500 certified companies in more than 80 countries working across more than 150 industries. By joining the global B Corp community and holding ourselves accountable to these high standards of verification and transparency, we aspire to serve as a model for other firms and contribute solutions to the pressing environmental and social challenges we face as a society.

Click here to read more about our process for pursuing and achieving B Corp.

Each year, the Texas Society of Architects recognizes design excellence among outstanding architectural and urban design projects. We are honored to announce Verde Creek Ranch and the Will Smith Zoo School are among Texas Society of Architects' 2023 Design Award recipients!   

Verde Creek Ranch acts as a haven tucked between the tall Cypress trees along the creek and the rocky hillside, blending seamlessly into the natural landscape. The home’s structures are pushed to the edges and spaced apart, maintaining the original experience of walking into a hidden clearing. Cypress wood siding used throughout will weather naturally while local Lueders limestone anchors the home against the hillside. The outdoor walkways and porches offer views to the neighboring creek and are the best place to catch a cool Texas breeze. 

The Zoo School is the largest nature-based preschool and the first LEED Platinum Certified preschool in the country. The school uses nature as the thread that ties together the school's philosophy, pedagogies, building design, and outdoor spaces. Students spend at least half of their school days outdoors, with a percentage of that time spent at the adjacent San Antonio Zoo learning about wildlife conservation. 99% of regularly occupied spaces have quality views to the outdoors, 89% of structural walls, floors, and the roof were adaptively reused from an existing building, and 17% of electricity costs are offset by a solar PV array.

For more details: 2023 TxA Design Award recipients 

We are honored Confluence Park has been recognized with a 2023 AIA COTE Top Ten Award! Confluence Park, a collaboration with Matsys Design, is a living laboratory for the San Antonio River Foundation designed to provide visitors with a greater understanding of the San Antonio River watershed and the ecotypes of the South Texas region. A one-of-a-kind cultural pavilion with education at its core, the park is an intricate teaching tool that inspires visitors to become more involved with the river and practice sustainable habits by allowing visitors to learn through observation, engagement, and active participation.

“This project is both architecturally functional but also just a beautiful space where I’d want to be in.”
-2023 COTE Top Ten Jury

The pavilion geometry is inspired by “petals” imitating the form of plants that are structured to funnel dew and rainwater to their roots. These concrete petals are designed thoughtfully to sit lightly upon the land providing shade and shelter, simultaneously collecting rainwater used on site and engaging visitors to visualize the cycle of water at Confluence Park and how it relates directly to the San Antonio Rivershed.

The AIA COTE Top Ten Awards are the highest recognition for sustainable design, selecting ten innovative projects each year for their integration of design excellence with environmental performance. Lake|Flato leads the industry with 15 COTE Top Ten Awards, demonstrating our commitment to design performance & sustainability.

For details on the 2023 AIA COTE Top Ten Award recipients: 2023 COTE Top Ten Awards.