THE DOGRUN/2015
The Dogrun
a place to share ideas
A few weeks ago, in anticipation of Rand Pinson's departure , we held a little in-house Porch House showcase. As someone who works in the land of 50,000+ sq ft commercial projects, it was a great opportunity for me to get a little insight into projects that are generally closer in scale to 5,000 sq ft. I learned a little history and a lot about the evolution of an idea. Porch House was started in the height of the recession, with the vision to create pre-fabricated residential homes, that could be assembled in the factory, and delivered to the site fully built. Miller Ranch, one of the first...
Kaitlyn is a fearless and surprising adventurer wrapped up in an unflappable calm and cheerful exterior. She traveled way down to Texas — site unseen — from Canada for an internship with Lake|Flato. She’d never set foot in this state before but took to this place and our wacky firm culture right away, as if our heat and humidity were second nature. She owns no car, and bicycles everywhere. She said yes when we asked her to join the Knox College Art Building design team and quickly mastered the wild ride of Construction Documents production, keeping our team insanely organized, on track and in...
I’m not sure what the first floor south studio is going to do without Steven, not only did his meal schedule function as an perpetual time-clock, he always brought a smile and a laugh to every task at hand. There were countless times when Steven had to put up with my (very) particular Photoshop critiques, affinity for 80s music, and our team’s very heavy material library; and for this we are forever grateful! Steven has the rare ability to roll with the punches and get things done. This alone, combined with a disciplined approach to design, will take him far in life. We wish him all the best...
On a recent site visit to the Bridge House in Houston, I caught our geothermal well drillers in action and asked them about the drilling process. As an alternative to conventional air conditioning systems, geothermal heating and cooling takes advantage of the stable temperature of the earth via a series of vertical wells or loops, providing heating, cooling, and hot water at very high efficiencies. Because the heat exchange is buried underground, a geothermal HVAC system eliminates outdoor equipment, avoiding unsightly condensers and their associated noise and long term maintenance. Although...
One of the things I have always appreciated about the work of Lake|Flato is their deep respect for vernacular buildings. Sure there are plenty of lessons offered by the monuments of great architecture from around the world, but there is also lots to learn form the more modest buildings in our own backyard of Texas. Of course, not all Texas buildings are humble. County courthouses, for example, were designed as architectural celebrations of their communities. The values expressed by these buildings align closely with those of Lake|Flato - they use a palette of regional materials to create...
LF will miss our Jack-of-all-Trades-Jordan. Known for his late night creativity that often kept him up into the wee hours and made him rush in at 11 a.m., Jordan had no shortage of energy to offer towards any task. In addition to helping build models or work on miscellaneous tasks for multiple other projects around the office, Jordan’s time was spent accompanying our Confluence Park team in the design of a unique pavilion that challenged Lake|Flato to charter into new territories. His exploratory spirit, strong work ethic and creative energy will take him far – no matter what time of day they...
Remaining active in sustainability discussions is an important part of what we do at Lake | Flato. Conferences offer the chance for invested community members to learn, share, mingle and feel inspired. Here's a summary of the conferences attended by LFers this year. Net Positive Energy + Water Conference This January, Jennifer Young attended the Net Positive Energy + Water Conference in San Francisco put on by the International Living Future Institute. Some of the highlights were touring David Baker Architects' Zero Cottage and hearing a lecture by the inspirational Bill Reed. One of the...
A few weeks ago Sarah and I decided to visit the Northwest to meet up with some graduated Lake|Flato’ers and explore the landscapes and architecture of Seattle and Portland. Along the way a few buildings joined the highly coveted Lick List! First stop was Seattle where we met up with Sierra who is now working at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and getting ready to release their latest houses book! We got a tour around the office and got to see some beautiful models, drawings and amazing views from their studio space of the city and waters below. Ballard Public Library The Ballard Public Library by...
I’ve learned a lot from Rand the last 4 years here at Lake | Flato. At the surface, you’d think that he’s just really interested in architecture, but it’s more – he’s an adventurer and inspiration junkie, searching for truth. It’s hard to have a conversation with him and not get psyched about a new idea, concept, trip, etc… a beer after work with Rand was usually the opposite of unwinding – conversations often aimed towards gearing up – there’s good work to be done, to see, to learn from, and we have to be ready. This attitude dissipates pretty easily when in the daily grind. So with that – I...
Sunday, May 31st, the historically appreciative "Nerd Train" took an impromptu trip south down the river. LFer's Ben Hartigan, Ty Reece and myself eventually biked all the way down Mission Reach, stopping at Mission San Juan and finally Mission Espada. The weather had cooled and droves of people were all along the river enjoying their Sunday afternoon. Mission San Juan is the 4th mission along the river (starting from the Alamo and going south) and was founded in the early 1700's. It is smaller in scale than Mission San Jose (visited by the Nerd Train last summer http://www.lakeflatodogrun...
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