It’s time again for the annual HBJ Landmark Awards. Two projects we were privileged to work on were named Finalists. The ambitious $55 million St. Martin’s Episcopal Church expansion by Jackson & Ryan is a Public Assembly Finalist. The Arbor School by Studio Red Architects is an Education Finalist. Congratulations!
As a business with all female employees, Women’s History Month is a big deal here at PRISM. Jing Johnson conscientiously structured the business to cater to working moms. She wanted to create a working environment where attending kids’ school parties is equally as important as serving clients. Giving female employees such flexibility is an easy way for employers to empower women to contribute to their fullest. President Jimmy Carter proclaimed Women’s History Week in 1980. In 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month.
Long since its days as a company town in the early 1900s, Sugar Land is now the booming hub of Fort Bend County. The city and county both routinely rank on “fastest growing” lists. Under its robust master planning effort, Sugar Land city administrators have proactively guided the development with a Land Use Plan that was approved by City Council in August 2018. In that plan, the Sugar Creek Regional Activity Center (RAC) is a designated mixed-use area that is intended to draw local and regional visitors.The District at Sugar Creek is the newest proposed development in the RAC. PRISM developed several renderings from different views as part of a rezoning request to the RAC. Kaplan Multifamily is the developer and Johnson Design Group is the architect for The District at Sugar Creek. The District at Sugar Creek is planned for a busy 8-acre corner bordered by U.S. 90A and U.S. Highway 59, the major east-west and north-south corridors, respectively. Sugar Creek RAC is currently zoned as a Business Office District; Kaplan Multifamily is requesting rezoning as a Planned Development District. The change would allow a broad mix of building uses to be incorporated into the RAC, including multifamily. The District at Sugar Creek will have two distinct areas; the larger District A will have 387 multifamily units, 15 live/work units, and a parking garage, all wrapped around a large outdoor courtyard. Just across a pedestrian-oriented street, District B will include three separate buildings for restaurant or retail use. A central lawn between the buildings will double as an event space. The Sugar Land Planning & Zoning Commission is still reviewing the zoning application and the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback in a future Public Hearing.
When it was built in 1962, the old Woodforest National Bank building (originally occupied by the Conroe Federal Savings & Loan Association) was considered ahead of its time. The modernist building had a simple rectangular plan and white façade, punctuated on one side with floor-to-ceiling windows. “It almost felt like somebody picked that thing up out of California and dropped it into Montgomery County,” according to Jay Dreibelbis, Woodforest National Bank President and CEO. And everyone noticed the building because it was prominently located on a main corner two blocks away from the county courthouse and Conroe City Hall. A new and equally attention-grabbing building now sits in its place, another landmark for Woodforest National Bank. PRISM produced the promotional renderings for LA Architects back in 2020. The sleek glass building opened to customers earlier this month, and E.E. Reed Construction, L.P. was the general contractor. LA Architects designed the 3-story building to house the bank and provide leasable Class A office and retail space. The building totals 32,800 s.f.; Woodforest has its full-service branch bank on the first floor. The spacious lobby has warm interior finishes and places for customers to sit and work. The commercial banking team is located on the second floor, where there is additional office space.
Happy Birthday to our "Fire Snake" girl Vivian Peng! Our VP of Project Management and resident yogi brings a refreshing spirit and joy for daily life to our team, like a bright ray of sunshine. You glow girl!
Chinese New Year began on Feb. 1. The celebration traditionally culminates after 15 days with a Lantern Festival. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, indicating good things to come! Expect Tigers to be ambitious, courageous, generous, self-confident, and committed to helping others. Xīnnián hǎo to all our family and friends – New Year Goodness to you!
=ULI, the champion organization for responsible, transformative land development, hosted their 15th Annual Development of Distinction Awards in Houston last night. PRISM was privileged to produce renderings for finalist East End Maker Hub. Congrats to all finalists! We were a proud sponsor of the honorees’ reception.
The regional retail event of the year is a month away – how will you make the most of it? ICSC will be live and in-person in Dallas. Let’s talk now about ways PRISM can make your prospective retail projects jump out and grab attendee attention. Our vibrant and photo-realistic project renderings are the next best thing to touring sites in person. Deborah would love to visit with you at 713-305-1495 or send her an email to
How does PRISM keep a finger on the pulse of Houston development and design? Our resident business development wonder woman, Deborah Gross, attends four to five industry events every month! She joined several other gals at the Commercial Real Estate Millennial Misses (CREMM) Galentine’s Day Speed Networking earlier this month. What a sweet night!
In a segregated Washington, D.C. public school in 1897, teacher Mary Church Terrell took bold action. She persuaded the school board to set aside the afternoon of February 14 so she could honor the birthday of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and teach about his life and work. The event ignited momentum to expand the focus on Black history, and Gerald Ford in 1976 declared February Black History Month. Of the many notable Black architects in history, these achieved significant ‘firsts’: Moses McKissack III (1879-1952) together with his brother Calvin Lunsford McKissack (1890-1968), founded the nation’s first Black-owned architecture firm. McKissack & McKissack today is a continuation of that firm. Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) was discouraged from studying architecture at Los Angeles' Polytechnic High School due to his race. He went on to graduate from the U. of Southern California School of Architecture. He was licensed as a California architect in 1921. In 1923 he became the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Beverly Lorraine Greene (1915-1957) earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree and Master’s degrees in both Architecture and City Planning. In 1942 she became the first Black woman licensed as an architect in the United States. John S. Chase (1925-2012) was the first Black student to earn a Master of Architecture degree from the U. of Texas and the first Black architect registered in the state of Texas. He was a co-founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) in 1971. In 1980, he was the first Black appointee to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. Norma Merrick Sklarek (1926-2012) has been called the Rosa Parks of architecture. She was the first Black woman to become a licensed architect in both New York (1954) and California (1962). She was also the first Black woman to become a member of the AIA in 1959, and its first Black female fellow in 1980. Today, only 2% of licensed U.S. architects are Black. NOMA works nationally and in local chapters for the purpose of minimizing the effect of racism in architecture. Learn more about their work here at https://www.noma.net/about-noma
