The new Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston Headquarters has been named a finalist for the Houston Business Journal Landmark Awards. These awards recognize outstanding real estate projects in the Greater Houston area.
This project was named a finalist in the Community Impact category. The finalists in this category include:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston
- Star of Hope Cornerstone Campus
- The Salvation Army Wayne Bergstrom Center of Hope
- The Women’s Home Mabee Whole Life Service Center
About the Project
The project design was kick-started by a seed grant for initial research provided by the Rice University School of Architecture. The project team of Tei Carpenter with Agency—Agency (project designer) and Method Architecture worked in collaboration with BBBSGH, DMAC Construction & Development Inc., Bury Engineers (now Stantec), and TBG Partners to bring the project to life. Method Architecture, Bury Engineers (Stantec) and Earth Engineering provided over $250,000 in pro-bono services for this project.
In the spirit of bringing the community together, The Rice Design Alliance hosted a design charrette for the exterior courtyard design which was won by TBG Partners after a lively one day charrette with a number of talented local designers.
The process of making this project a reality was a collaborative effort over the course of several phases between Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston and a number of generous local individuals, businesses, agencies and institutions. Having outgrown their home, a former doctor’s office outside of the 610 loop, the organization was looking for a location to expand their services, increase visibility, and improve the organization’s effectiveness and productivity. After reviewing a number of possible real estate options throughout the city, the current site at 1003 Washington Avenue was decided upon because of its ideal location at the intersection of children that the organization serves and the volunteer mentor demographic that it engages. Moreover, with a location just north of downtown Houston adjacent to the I-45 elevated highway and the busy Washington Corridor, along with nearby Buffalo Bayou and the forthcoming light-rail line along Capitol, the site is accessible and highly visible by commuters and passersby.
