Houston-based Method Architecture, which is known for designing some of the city’s popular breweries among other high-profile projects, has revealed plans for its new headquarters in Houston-based Midway’s East River mixed-use development. Method Architecture has leased 8,574 square feet in East River 1 (Building C) and plans to move into the new space next year. The firm currently offices in the East Village mixed-use development at 2118 Lamar St., where its headquarters has been located since 2016. The firm also has offices in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio.
The new space will house 58 employees and feature a variety of formal and informal collaboration spaces, including a project simulation lab. In a news release, Method Architecture said the lab will feature virtual reality technology, a product sample library and tunable white lighting to give clients a realistic view of their projects and material selections in real time. The new headquarters will also offer a variety of workspaces, which aim to cater to the differing work styles of Method’s employees. The workspaces will range from traditional desks and meeting rooms to booths and hoteling desks. The new office will also have 30% more collaboration and meeting space than Method Architecture’s existing offices, something the firm’s employees said they wanted during a recent survey. “Working remotely for a year during the Covid-19 pandemic made us take a fresh look at how we use our office space,” said Jackie Rye, partner and Houston market principal at Method. “We’ve found that the office is more of a gathering place and social connector than a place to sit at your desk all day. That’s our goal — to design a space where employees want to show up every day.” Method Architecture said that even with the new headquarters, employees will be able to take advantage of a hybrid work schedule, combining in-office hours with working from home. The design of Method Architecture’s new headquarters will combine bright colors with softer elements to provide the feel of working from home. The lobby area will feature a custom mural installation by local artist David Maldonado, whose work can also be found around East River at the corner of Jensen and Clinton drives.
The new headquarters was designed by a team of Method architects that included Ashley Bettcher, Katherine Rorie, Alexis Garcia, Juan Ponce and Leah Schultz. The new office will be seeking both LEED and WELL certifications. Midway announced in August 2021 that Method Architecture would be one of East River's first tenants. The 150-acre mixed-use project in the historic Fifth Ward, adjacent to the East End District, will be completed in multiple phases over many years.
East River’s first phase, which will span about 26 acres at the intersection of Jensen and Clinton, is slated to be complete in 2023. It will include approximately 250,000 square feet of office space, 110,000 square feet of retail space and more than 13,000 square feet of plaza greenspace. Previously announced plans for East River include an apartment community called The Laura, which is slated to begin delivering units in late 2023, as well as a golf course anchored by a restaurant and patio bar, which are scheduled to open in September. Meanwhile, Method Architecture has been growing rapidly across Texas in recent years. In May, the firm announced it paid an undisclosed amount to acquire Austin-based GSC Architects, which added a total of 70 employees to the combined firm’s offices in Austin and San Antonio. GSC Architects' staff includes 12 registered architects and six registered interior designers.
Founded in 1978, GSC Architects' portfolio includes designs for mixed-use developments, interiors and educational buildings, as well as science and technology spaces. GSC recently completed the Mexican Consulate in Houston, overseeing the design improvements for the 49,000-square-foot, four-story building. Method Architecture is licensed in 27 states and is a full-service architectural firm specializing in a variety of project types, such as retail, breweries, mixed-use developments, industrial warehouse, distribution and manufacturing facilities. Method recently completed M-K-T in the Heights, working with Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. The adaptive reuse project transformed five former industrial buildings into a mixed-use development with over 214,000 square feet of office, restaurant, retail and fitness space. M-K-T recently won a Houston Business Journal Landmark Award for best new mixed-use development. In April, Method Architecture named two women to its ownership team by promoting CFO Melissa Pasche and Houston Market Principal Jackie Rye to partner. Pasche, who has worked at Method since 2016, was promoted to CFO in April 2021. Rye was hired in 2011 as a project manager and was also appointed to her current role in 2021. They joined Managing Partner Jake Donaldson, Eric Hudson and Keith Holley, the founding owners of Method Architecture, which was formed through the merger of Three Square Design Group and Architects Plus in 2016. Since then, the firm has expanded with the acquisition of Austin-based Architecture Plus in 2017 and the opening of a Dallas office in 2018.
Jeff Jeffrey
