Two Houston firms merge to form Method Architecture

Two Houston-based architecture firms, Architects-Plus and Three Square Design Group, will merge to launch Method Architecture this year.

The new studio will be situated in a 10,000-sf second floor of an industrial building in the EaDo neighborhood, east of downtown Houston. Method will move into the building in June, and it will design the exterior renovations for the entire building, which also includes retail and food businesses.

Architects-Plus and Three Square completed 700 total projects between them last year. Architects-Plus has designed auto dealerships, offices, financial institutions, and medical centers, while Three Square’s portfolio contains corporate interiors, industrial centers, and special projects, like breweries. Each have worked on retail spaces and assisted living centers.

Method will have a staff of 40 and it will take on the same range of projects that Architects-Plus and Three Square did.

Method is led by four partners: Keith Holley and Eric Hudson, Principals and Co-owners of Architects-Plus; Jake Donaldson, Founder and Principal of Three Square; and Vanessa Ortega, Director of Projects at Three Square.

Left to right: Donaldson, Ortega, Holley, and Hudson.

The partners have a shared history. First they were classmates at Texas A&M and the University of Houston, then they worked at Architects-Plus before Donaldson opened Three Square in 2008 (Holley and Hudson became owners of Architects-Plus in 2013).

“We’re thrilled about what lies ahead with Method, as we tap the resources that both firms bring to the table,” the Partners said in a statement. “Our combined portfolio means that we have collective expertise on a vast array of project types. After considerable planning, we’re confident that we can build upon this expanded reach, while still providing the same quality, personal attention and culture that clients and employees appreciate.”

(Click to enlarge photos)

Parkview Commerce Center is a 828,162-sf three-building multi-tenant speculative industrial park in Flower Mound, Texas. It was designed by Architects-Plus.

The first commercial facility of its kind in the U.S., the 44,000-sf Maersk Training Center is a training facility in Houston designed by Architects-Plus.

The popular Karbach Brewing Company is a 22,040-sf brewery with a tap house, full kitchen, and event spaces. Three Square Design Group was the architect.

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows.

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