On December 6, Church of the King opened for its first service in Katy, TX. The campus is four miles west of the Grand Parkway and ready to serve the explosive population growth in the area. Martin Needle, AIA, of COLLABORATE Architects designed the church working directly with Pastor Jason Robinson, who started the church after 20 years of student ministry in the New Orleans area. PRISM supported the team with several interior and exterior renderings that were used to share the church’s vision with the community. For the past four years, Church of the King has been using a local junior high space to worship. Their “It’s Time” capital campaign raised the necessary funds to build the 21,500 s.f. new campus. Despite opening the new campus during the coronavirus pandemic, in a community video, Pastor Jason provided an encouraging message of how the congregation and their new home will persevere, “The message of hope has endured, the message of hope is undefeated in everything it has ever faced.”
Regular services began at Calvary Episcopal Church in Richmond in 1857, making it one of the oldest Episcopal churches in Texas. The original sanctuary was destroyed by a hurricane; the first building built on the current site was constructed in 1952 and serves today as the Parish Hall. Merriman Holt Powell Architects is working with the church to restore and make long-overdue upgrades to this vital space, along with the Solarium, and restrooms. The stained-glass windows placed strategically throughout the sanctuary distinguished the original design and continue to do so today. Foster Stained Glass and the church are working together on this restoration effort. PRISM Renderings produced several renderings for the fundraising effort, and in June the church announced their plans to move forward with the planned renovations.
How about a stroll down a quaint, festive Main Street to get into the holiday spirit? Second Baptist Church Cypress annually transforms their lobby into a small-town winter wonderland for the Christmas season. This year, Jing and her husband Warren designed two of the facades used in the festive scene. Rather than a traditional holiday model train display, Second Baptist Cypress puts visitors right in the middle of the action, offering a stroll through a homey and snowy Main Street. Sites along the way include a Town Hall, Gift Shop, Bank, General Store, Café/Barber Shop, and a Candy Store. Jing and Warren designed facades for the Bank and Gift Shop, and Warren provided hand sketches to bring each to life – a new twist on bringing another type of vision to reality! It took more than a dozen volunteers two weekends and some extra evenings to construct the full Main Street. Visitors are welcome to visit and enjoy the display, and join in safely-spaced Christmas Eve services as we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.
For the sixth time, ENR Texas & Louisiana magazine invited Jing to help judge the incoming 20 Under 40 Class. Of 69 entries submitted, the most of any ENR region, jurors picked the young professionals based on industry experience, career and leadership, and community service and involvement. View the article with winners or see below. Blake Axen, project manager, BGE, Inc. Bryan Carruthers, CEO, Anser Advisory LLC Cory Delz, executive vice president, Embree Construction Group Dedra A. Ecklund, project manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. Dennis M. Hymel, Jr., senior project manager, T. Baker Smith, LLC Eric Hudson, partner,
This year, more than any other since PRISM started, we are grateful to our clients, partners, and the PRISM team for all we were able to achieve amidst the ongoing uncertainty:
- Brought on Lily Luo as Project Manager in January 2020.
- Participated in the annual Dress for Success Send One Suit (S.O.S.) clothing drive. Dress for Success is a national organization with a mission to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
- Celebrated our 15-year anniversary on October 11.
- Stayed busy working on local, national and international projects, thanks to our current clients and many generous referrals. To date we have completed more than 160 total projects, for over 80 clients, and worked with 32 new clients. Our work spanned the U.S. and Bahamas.
- Completed the EntreLeadership Summit program as a team and gained practical takeaways and implementations.
- Enrolled three team members in the Vistage Emerging Leader program.
- Thrived through Covid! Despite the challenges Covid brought, we celebrated all successes both big and small. We connected with clients through Zoom and deepened our knowledge of other media platforms. Our team found new ways to be more efficient and became more deliberate in maintaining connections to one another.
You likely remember the line from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, he will come.” Church congregations often stake their hopes on this belief when undertaking capital campaigns, hoping for both the Heavenly Spirit and a larger congregation. Whether it’s a new facility or completely new campus, a renovation or expansion, communicating the cost of the project in relatable terms is a critical factor for success. Many congregations will go through only one capital campaign per generation of membership. This is compounded by the fact that very few congregants have any architecture or construction knowledge. Fundraising amounts in the thousands can feel as overwhelming as amounts in the millions. Yet uniting a congregation around a common goal can build the momentum and inspiration needed for success.
Goodbye Pepto-Bismol pink, hello urban rustic. Sawyer Park Icehouse is the reincarnation of the bright pink building many remember just west of I-45 off the Rayford/Sawdust exit. Amber Slaughter, Principal and Creative Director, at STUDIO a28 tasked PRISM with creating renderings to showcase her vision and the client’s dream for the new watering hole. Construction is underway; Sawyer Park Icehouse is expected to open in early 2021. It will include a full bar with extensive Texas local beers and spirits, indoor gaming area with billiards and darts, a long wall of garage-style doors opening to a deep covered patio, and a large outdoor green kid and dog-friendly space that will draw in their patrons. It is also planned to be a local destination for live music, with an upgraded sound system and both indoor and outdoor stage areas. STUDIO a28 incorporated warm rustic materials and colors to give Sawyer Park Icehouse a welcoming, urban Texas-Country aesthetic. The founders of the popular Woodson’s Local Tap + Kitchen are also the founders of Sawyer Park Icehouse. Best friends Todd Weaver, Adam Lee, and Ben Locher started their restaurant success in 2013 and quickly opened a second location. Sawyer Park Icehouse will feature a similar, yet unique Southern-inspired menu.
Houston has endless options for fantastic food. You know this. Even U.S News & World Report knows it, ranking the city #10 on its list of Best U.S. Foodie Cities. So why not mix things up this season of Thanksgiving and have something other than turkey with all the trimmings? Whether dining out or getting takeout, eateries across the city could use all the community support they can get to help keep their doors open. One high profile chef has been waiting to open concepts in Houston. Dallas-based Tim Love made local news in 2018 with the announcements of three brand new eateries, all in Levy Park. PRISM produced the renderings to help promote barbeque joint Woodshed Smokehouse and burger bar Love Shack. Side Dough is Love’s third concept; it is a retrofitted double-decker bus that serves breakfast food like pastries and breakfast tacos all day. Love welcomed his first customers earlier this year – on March 12th. Though forced to provide limited service due to COVID restrictions, the restaurants welcomed customers back in early September for dining in. Side Dough is all outdoor seating, and Woodshed and Love Shack both have ample outdoor seating along with indoor dining. Who’s hungry??
In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day, celebrating the end of World War I. Legislation approved on June 1, 1954 marked November 11 as the day of annual honor for American veterans of all wars, and President Eisenhower issued the first Veterans Day proclamation in October of that year. In 1966, the Armed Services YMCA and the U.S. government established November as Military Family Month. The observance honors enlisted service members around the world and their families. Military family members provide the behind-the-scenes support needed from all those actively serving in the Armed Forces. THANK YOU to our clients and friends who have served or have a family member serving!
Healthcare facilities have been in the news a lot this year. Beyond the issue of capacity, the pandemic has forced providers to quickly adapt to service model changes. Telemedicine has proven to be effective for primary care. Alternate testing sites like pharmacies are increasing. Nonphysicians such as nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants are playing a larger role in care, especially in rural areas. And even as the industry is facing the challenges of rapid evolution, the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast is projecting healthcare to be one of only two sectors with positive growth in 2021; the Forecast is expecting a 3.2% increase in spending on healthcare and a 2.5% increase on public safety. PRISM has worked directly with hospital systems, developers, and privately-owned care centers to produce a wide range of renderings and animations. Clients come to us to assist in the early project phases, producing renderings for fundraising campaigns, marketing and promotional materials, and the overall patient experience. We also help project teams work through design options for renovations and updates, using our renderings to illustrate the spatial layout. Our clients also use renderings for campus orientation and wayfinding. This video spotlights a small portion of our healthcare portfolio.
