Architecture / Residential

Bend N Creek Ranch

scroll

For this weekend retreat located one hour northwest of Houston, the client requested a Texas interpretation of a California Cliff May house, which are known for their unique qualities of casual indoor/outdoor relationship. The 4,500 SF main house was designed as a one-story, horizontal, low profile house, featuring an open floor plan, with the living, dining, and kitchen serving as the core of the home. A screened porch, located next to the living and dining rooms, is used for outdoor entertaining.

The master bedroom features a large corner window and door unit, and a corner screened porch. The 1,500 SF guest house has two bedrooms and a yoga studio, which are linked by a covered porch. All major rooms, bedrooms, and screen porches have views of a private lake and the surrounding countryside. Bend N Creek Ranch captures the essence of Cliff May’s architecture. Similar to May’s landscaping, a swimming pool is in full view, even from the main entry’s glass wall, directly opposite the front door of the home.

Back to Projects
Robert Irwin Project | Sustainable Architecture | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Craft / Cultural / Sustainable

Robert Irwin Project, untitled (dusk to dawn)

scroll

Artist, Robert Irwin, when invited to create an installation at Judd’s Chinati Foundation, focused on the ruins of a former army hospital as the site for his highly conceptual work. Over a 15 year period of collaboration, artist and architects created a Cartesian version of the original building, precisely and obsessively symmetrical and perfected as a kind of observatory for the phenomenon of Marfa’s protean daylight. The goal was to purge the building and site of anything inessential.

The installation contains a series of scrims and window films that act as light catchers, partially in dark pigments and partially in light shades, a subtlety bordering on the sublime. There is no artificial lighting, no mechanical systems, only the building and the light. Even the glazing, Starfire glass, was chosen for its extreme purity. The detailing of the building clearly shows the result of 15 years of refinement and reduction.

Exterior of the Robert Irwin Project, untitled (dusk to dawn)

“Hey! I’m at the top of my game here”. - Robert Irwin

While the illumination within is ethereal, the building is massive and literally rooted in its place by slicing into the site, creating a datum plane on the horizon and serving to both expand the project out into the adjacent fields and to establish a level grade for accessibility. The strong but quiet detailing of every inch of the building and its environment shape the experience of an encounter with the profundity of the artist’s thoughts. As a work of Architecture, the Robert Irwin Project is about the architect’s contribution in bringing the artist’s lifetime of work to final fruition. There is no place but here to see the quintessential work of Irwin. As Irwin was heard to say, “Hey! I’m at the top of my game here”.

The Robert Irwin Project, untitled (dusk to dawn)

Back to Projects
The Blue House | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Historic Preservation / Interior Design / Residential

The Blue House

scroll

At the confluence of the Guadalupe River and Holiday Creek, two miles downstream from Comfort, TX, a farmhouse built in 1903 recently received a revitalizing renovation. Affectionately named the Blue House, referring to the long maintained exterior hue, the historic home serves as a hill country retreat for the San Antonio family who sought to refresh the interiors and refocus the home on indoor-outdoor living.

The original craftsman detailed porch oriented on axis with the southeast breezes allows rooms to open to the outside. This outward flow was further enhanced by extending the porch steps out to a new stone patio. A stone fire pit acts as a focal point of the outdoor living room and is balanced by carefully scaled limestone planters and a fishpond. Additionally, the roof was replaced with a new standing seam metal roof and the siding upgraded to a new vertical reverse board and batten siding.

The interior renovation blends modern and traditional elements by retaining the structure and dimensions of the farmhouse while updating finishes, and windows, and doors. The shotgun flow through the living room, dining room, and kitchen showcase new Brazilian Cherry wide-plank flooring. The living room features a wrap-around sofa custom to fit the room width and windows, while the dining room delivers classic lines of Mid-Century Modern tables and chairs. The kitchen opens to a farmhouse sink, custom shelves, under-counter refrigerator, and stone wall panels. The same stone is used as wainscoting in the bathroom which features painted wood slat siding and a glass door shower with a view of the landscape. New insulated windows and doors remain true to scale, and gray painted beadboard walls and ceilings complement the original trim and repainted wood base. Additional details include historically inspired air diffusers, LED lights, modern ceiling fans, and simple roller-shades.

Back to Projects
Mission Tejas Visitor's Center | Architecture | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Governmental / Hospitality / Sustainable

Mission Tejas Visitor’s Center

scroll

Mission Tejas State Park is located in Houston County, at the north end of the Davy Crockett National Forest. FPC’s current project is the park’s new visitor center, which incorporates meeting and interpretive spaces, offices, and restrooms. The new buildings focus on education and interpretation, including the project’s focus on environmentalism. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the Park and its commemorative mission in 1934, to memorialize Mission San Francisco de los Tejas. The park is also home to the Rice Family Log Home. The home was built near the El Camino Real in 1828, relocated to the park in 1973, and restored in 1974. The El Camino Real carried people from northwestern Louisiana, to San Antonio, and on to Mexico City. Original traces of the road can be seen at the park.

The new visitor center is divided into three buildings united by a single path. Building A houses restroom facilities open to the public 24 hours a day. Building B is dedicated to interpretive exhibits about the park and the El Camino Real. Building C contains the park store, administrative offices, and a research library. Building B provides views of the Rice Family Log Home, the forest, and the forest canopy.

One of the design goals for the project was to explore wood as a material and building techniques in a modern way. Known for its pine trees, the park has a long history with fire management. The park regularly has prescribed fires, and an interpretive area which describes the park’s former fire tower. FPC selected Shou Sugi Ban wood siding for the project as a modern way of interpreting this history of fire management. This historic wood burning technique makes the siding resistant to rot and insects, and less likely to ignite when exposed to flames.

Other environmental strategies include the use of structural insulated panels (SIP) for exterior walls and incorporating a reclaimed water system for collecting rain water for flushing toilets. The site design retains as many of the trees as possible and reuses the wood from those that must be taken down to construct site furniture.

Back to Projects
Alamo Colleges District Support Operations HQ | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Craft / Interior Design / Planning / Education

Alamo Colleges District Support Operations Headquarters Building

scroll

The Alamo Colleges District Support Operations (DSO) building is an administration complex is a 160,000-SF Class A office building located just north of downtown San Antonio, TX. The building houses all 500 District Support Operations administrative staff members who were previously dispersed across four separate locations, three in San Antonio and one in Live Oak. For the first time in the college’s history, the administration staff is all working from one central location.

The project was originally programmed as a single contiguous building with site parking, which would have taken up a significant portion of the site. Our team quickly challenged the model of a big-box structure and envisioned the building as a campus of connected structures—a three story contiguous building sitting atop occupiable pilotis. The first floor takes advantage of public-facing amenities, such as the UPS store, student outreach, and the bookstore and food service components. These programed elements splay around a central amphitheatre and interpretive plaza—much like the campuses that the Alamo College District is in the business of running.

The complex provides an environmentally conscious, safe and comfortable space to optimize DSO employees’ performance. The building is designed to be totally flexible, allowing the rapid reorganization of departments utilizing DIRTT (Do It Right This Time) modular walls to the greatest extent. The building is also “future-proofed,” allowing easy integration of future office systems technology.

The project includes a conference center with boardroom, Alamo Colleges Police Headquarters, 24/7 Fire Alarm Monitoring Station and DPS dispatch. In addition, the project includes a chiller plant to support the building, sustainable features and systems, 900 surface parking spaces and an adjacent parking garage designed to wedge into the existing grade in order to minimize its urban profile.

Taking advantage of the site, the building and parking garage preserved a substantial grove of trees on the site. The east wing of the building was also pulled apart to preserve remnants of the Acequia Madre, an archeological structure found on the site. The complex’s open-air amphitheater allows District employees to enjoy an outdoor lunch or attend District functions, all while allowing the prevailing southeast breezes and overhead shade to protect them from the hot south Texas sun.

The roof deck is constructed of timber decking, supported by deep laminated wood beams, and is exposed to the third-floor office spaces to recall the heavily treed site. The roof line slopes up to the south, providing views of downtown. Ample expanses of glass provide natural light into all three floors of the building.

Innovation in material selection, program integration, mechanical systems stacking, and site responsiveness makes the DSO a model for employee consolidation projects where elements of biophilic design and cultural resources are on display in an active manner, housed under the bold form of a roof line that responds to the site topography as well as the not-to-distant skyline. Employees, students, and the general public are reminded of the District’s commitment to this city through the responsive architecture this project conveys.

Back to Projects
Comfort Dairy Barn | Preservation | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Craft / Historic Preservation / Interior Design / Residential / Sustainable

Comfort Dairy Barn

scroll

Built in the 1930s along the banks of the Guadalupe River, this former dairy barn is now a bright and inviting Hill Country escape. Converting a run-down barn into guest lodgings required substantial updates, however, staying true to the simplicity of the past is a driving design feature.

The renovation retains the structure of the barn which relied on a narrow footprint to capture daylight on three sides in lieu of electric lighting. Fitting the original openings with new insulated windows and doors maximizes illumination, transforming the interiors throughout the day through the play of natural light. Each opening frames a landscape scene creating a 360° view of the Hill Country. New glazing includes custom gable end windows which replaced wood siding and now provide a glimpse of the clouds and stars.

Complementary to the gable end windows is the refurbished wood ceiling. The redesign highlights the original decking and roughhewn rafters by sistering them between new fir 2x4s. These wood elements contrast the cool whitewash of the refreshed historic plaster, also carried out to the exterior. Other historic traces remain such as the feeding trough, now converted into bench seating. However, the renovation includes many updtes as well. A dual toned herringbone Endicott brick floor replaces the slab floor formerly sloped for drainage. The renovation provides new amenities like a kitchen, outfitted with a farmhouse sink, under counter refrigerator, propane stove, and custom millwork shelving. Additionally, the design features a bathroom with white ceramic tiles, brick floors, and a glass shower with views of the surrounding landscape.

Back to Projects
The Bunkhouse | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Residential

The Bunkhouse

scroll

The Bunkhouse is the third structure designed by FPC for this family’s ranch. The ranch is located in the heart of the most scenic part of the Texas Hill Country and is a cherished family retreat. The setting for the three structures is a crescent shaped ridge, embracing a bowl-like valley filled with oak trees. Over the past twenty years, as the family has grown, the ranch’s accommodations have also needed to grow. The Bunkhouse is linked to an existing one bedroom guest house by a courtyard paved with limestone quarried from the ranch. It is carefully sited to buttress to the end of the crescent shaped ridge. A long upper level porch provides views under tree canopies toward a pond used for swimming and views to a more distant lake above the tree lines. The porch widens at its southern end to provide ample room for viewing winter sunsets in front of a fire, and as a frame for a panoramic view of the horizon.

A massive chimney anchors the porch to the sloping site and is part of its structural support. All of the porch’s steel and wood structure is expressed and simply detailed like the rural hill country buildings it emulates. Folding doors on at the Living Room opens the house to southeast summer breezes. A ground level porch, paralleling communal grand children’s bunk rooms, is play space and assembly area for expeditions to the pond.

Back to Projects
Dwyer Street Garage and Sky Bridge | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Craft / Commercial

Dwyer Street Garage and Sky Bridge

scroll

One of the goals of this project was to bring an element of delight to the public through a normally mundane parking garage. A series of screens animate the façade of the garage, and create a visual order that allows the cast concrete structure to read through. These screens provide security, with some repeating the clay tile color, which is complementary to the green landscape surrounding the project. The corner screens are open at the bottom, and become more opaque as the structure rises. With the high steel arch bridge and dense landscape planting, this project is similar to a visual park that everyone can walk or drive by and enjoy.

The bridge is both functional and symbolic: it provides safe access from a secure parking garage to the Arsenal Campus and it creates a visual gateway for the neighborhood. The 160 foot long bridge uses heavy-bolted steel plates to recall the historic bridges along the San Antonio River, and massive concrete plinths to visually anchor the structure. The open-air bridge is set at a slight angle to the street, creating a dynamic element as one drives by.

This project creates a relationship between clean, bold statements and the simple expression of the craftsmanship. This human-scale is detailed in the steel-workers craft, the cast concrete elements with chipped edges, the clay tile elements, and in the landscape planting. This project is a delight for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

Back to Projects
Argo Group Corporate Headquarters | Ford, Powell & Carson

Craft / Interior Design / Commercial

Argo Group Corporate Headquarters

scroll

In 2011, Argo Group, an international corporation that underwrites specialty insurance, made the decision to invest in its city by moving their global headquarters to the void left in an the iconic downtown San Antonio 13-story IBC Center tower. Now occupying the top four floors of the tower overlooking the San Antonio River, the firm was able to make the unconventional move of 300 employees downtown through incentives granted by the City of San Antonio. In return, Argo provided a large group of workers with disposable income in the heart of downtown.

The new executive floor features reception and public areas arrayed along a 150 foot north facing outdoor terrace with sweeping views of the city for clients, visitors, and employees to take advantage of the dynamic skyline. The reception area, employee break room, and boardroom are aligned with this outdoor terrace to maximize daylight and encourage Argo employees to eat, have breakout meetings, and work outdoors. The ceiling heights emphasize the abundance of natural daylight, artwork and regional materials.

Argo Group Conference Room | Waiting Area

As part of the design challenge, the architects were required to emphasize the contemporary design statements of the existing New York and London Offices, but also to showcase the regional qualities of San Antonio. All four floors use local materials and artwork to reflect the spirit of south Texas, including strategically placed D’Hanis clay tile, select Texas Walnut used for slat walls, floors, cabinets, and trim, and limestone floors in major traffic areas.

Argo Group Common Area | Outdoor Balcony Overlooking Downtown San Antonio

Back to Projects
South Texas Heritage Center & Pioneer Hall | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Historic Preservation / Cultural / Sustainable

South Texas Heritage Center and Pioneer Hall

scroll

The South Texas Heritage Center Museum includes the restoration of the historic Pioneer Hall and the design of an addition, set on the banks of the San Antonio River, intended to breathe new life into the existing building originally constructed for Texas’ Centennial celebration. The new South Texas Heritage Center continues the original founder’s mission of teaching the stories of South Texas settlers through the use of historic artifacts, paintings, and photographs from the Witte Museum’s vast collection utilizing the latest interactive displays to engage and educate both children and adults about the history of the region.

Witte Museum Pioneer Hall

The challenge was to design a sensitive addition that would enhance the beauty of this important historic Beaux-Arts building. Inspired by the building’s setting within Brackenridge Park along the San Antonio River, the architect developed a design concept for the addition reminiscent of a 1930’s era park pavilion that would be full of light with sweeping views of the river. It was important to design an addition with scale and proportions relating to, and reflecting architectural elements of the existing landmark building, while at the same time avoiding the construction of its mirror image.

The steel-framed curtain wall of the addition encloses a grand 30-foot tall atrium space, which serves not only as the grand entrance hall for the new Center, but also as a wonderful place for receptions and fundraising. The preserved west exterior wall of Pioneer Hall provides a beautiful interior backdrop to the class covered atrium, and also acts as the physical link between the old and new.

Pioneer Hall and New Addition, South Texas Heritage Center

Sustainable features were incorporated in the design from the very beginning including deep overhangs, insulated UV-filtered glass, locally sourced materials, and a grey water drip irrigation system. The foundation of the addition is predominantly suspended slab, which was designed to have as little impact on the undisturbed natural grade as possible, while also allowing river floodwater to flow beneath it during heavy rains. A new HVAC system was discreetly integrated into the historic building by running duct work in hallway ceilings to minimize the visual impact in the larger rooms with decorative ceilings. The South Texas Heritage Center required museum-level temperature and humidity control to protect the priceless artifacts on display.

The highlight of the new landscape surrounding the South Texas Heritage Center is the riverside amphitheater that uses cut stone benches and natural boulders, woven beneath the canopies of existing trees, to minimize the impact on the park setting.

Interior of the Witte Museum South Texas Heritage Center | South Texas Heritage Center Outdoor Amphitheater

Back to Projects
City of San Antonio Fire Station No. 2 | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Governmental

City of San Antonio Fire Station No. 2

scroll

Fire Station No. 2 is a new replacement project for an existing City of San Antonio fire station. The one-story building contains a three bay structure for fire apparatus on one end countered by a one bay structure for an EMS apparatus. In between the two is a dormitory, office and living space for twelve fire fighters, including four officers, and two emergency medical technicians with room to expand to three.

The fire station is located on a corner lot facing a residential street. Its shed forms respect the scale of neighboring houses. A key site feature is the use of a detention pond to keep storm drainage flowing at a naturally low rate to surrounding areas.

3-Bay Structure the of City of San Antonio Fire Station No. 2

The fire apparatus and EMS bays were constructed using concrete tilt-wall construction saving considerable construction cost and time and providing the client with a stout, long lasting structure. The exterior face of the concrete varies using horizontal corrugations and smooth finishes. Dormitory and living spaces utilized conventional construction and a combination of EIFS and matching corrugated concrete veneer base panels for the exterior. The interior Joker Stand, a central communication center, contains an unobstructed clear glass view into the fire apparatus bays.

Interior details of City of San Antonio Fire Station No. 2

Back to Projects
Historic Visitor's Center | Ford, Powell & Carson

Craft / Historic Preservation / Commercial

Historic Visitor’s Center

scroll

The former Office Building for the United States Army was built in 1860, and is tied for being the first permanent United States Government building erected in Texas. This building was operational during the Civil War, when it was turned over to the Confederacy. Several officers, including Gen. Robert E. Lee, occupied this strategic outpost at one time or another during the war. The building was returned back to the United States Army in 1865, when it became the head Command Post for the American-Indian War campaign in Texas. Afterwards, it sat mostly vacant until 2012, when it was purchased by a highly regarded San Antonio corporation looking to expand its corporate campus back to the original boundaries of the historic military campus.

Ford Powell & Carson completed the renovations to the historic landmark—which now acts as the Visitor Center and welcoming station for any guests visiting the corporate campus. The building was restored from its substandard conditions through careful restoration of the interior spaces and the exterior facades and porch. Reclaimed flooring and limestone walls were cleaned, and the interior was opened up into a simplified arrangement of restrooms, conference room, and waiting area. The Visitor Center is ideally sited in a tree-lined grove with careful placement of new plaster low walls and layered beds of landscaping, which act as both security and visual elements.

Custom millwork and display cases for historic artifacts were designed, as well as a visual history of both the campus and the company through wall-mounted signage and digital displays. The campus sees over 100 guests a day, who now enter through this jewel of a building and through the adjacent Acequia Plaza.

Back to Projects
Texas Governor's Mansion | Restoration | Ford, Powell & Carson

Historic Preservation / Governmental / Sustainable

Texas Governor’s Mansion

scroll

The Texas Governor’s Mansion was undergoing a deferred maintenance program when a fire caused by an arsonist’s incendiary device severely damaged the Texas landmark on June 8, 2008. Recovery efforts began immediately to stabilize the building and salvage historic materials. In 2009, the State Preservation Board retained Ford, Powell & Carson to complete an interior and exterior restoration of the mansion.

The restoration of the historic 1856 original structure and 1914 addition encompassed the repair and restoration of all elements damaged by the fire, including the extensive reuse of salvaged materials, such as bricks, wood and plaster cornices, and historic hardware, where possible. The project also included the construction of a 2500sf addition at the rear of the building, a new security screening facility, new landscaping, and utility upgrades.

Texas Governor's Mansion Interior Restoration

The exterior restoration included repairs to the brick walls and chimneys, the installation of a new roof, restoration of the iconic front porch, including repairs to the six ionic columns and the wood entablature, as well as the restoration of all window and doors.

On the interior, where historic elements were missing or damaged beyond repair, they were reconstructed to match their historic appearance. Damaged interior wood framing was replaced and historic room dimensions were preserved. All existing plaster walls were restored and reclaimed long leaf pine floors installed to match the historic appearance. The existing 1914 addition and in the new 2012 addition were configured to house new ADA public bathrooms, a code compliant stair, and private living quarters for the Governor. All new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were installed, including a state-of-the-art geothermal HVAC system and solar water heating system.

The project was awarded a 2-star Residential Rating by the Austin Green Building Program and LEED Gold designation. It is once again is open to the public for tours and continues to serve as the official residence of the Governor of the State of Texas. The mansion and its contents, known as the Mansion Collection, constitute one of the most historic buildings in Texas, recognized as a National Register Site and as a Texas State Archaeological Landmark.

Back to Projects
San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters | Sustainable Design | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Governmental / Sustainable

City of San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters

scroll

Ford Powell & Carson served as the part of the executive architectural design team for San Antonio’s public safety headquarters. The Public Safety administration building consolidated the administrative functions of the city’s police and fire departments.

The project was Awarded LEED Silver and includes high-efficiency HVAC, daylighting, sunshades and condensate collection from mechanical systems which will be recycled for irrigation. The administration building is clad in locally produced materials, including limestone and brick which also appear on the base of the garage.

City of San Antonio Public Safety Headquarters was awarded LEED Silver rating

A central light court supplements perimeter day-lighting and acts as a unifying circulation space bringing literal openness to the functions of the police department. The project also includes a fueling and wash station for city vehicles located on another site. The parking garage contains priority parking for hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles, as well as charging stations for electric cars and trucks.

Special security features include bullet resistive glazing and blast resistive construction as well as site features such as bollards intended to protect the building from trucks and automobiles. A fenced and gated service yard protects official vehicle parking and the building’s perimeter walls and site are monitored by cameras 24 hours per day. Public access to the building is controlled through screening devices and personnel at the entry lobby.

Back to Projects
Plaza de Armas | Ford, Powell & Carson

Craft / Historic Preservation / Governmental

Plaza de Armas

scroll

The Plaza de Armas project is a set of four historic buildings dating to the 1880s and 1890s, which were combined into one larger office complex in 1979 totaling approximately 58,000 square feet. The City of San Antonio purchased the building in 1987 and occupied it until October 2011 when the departments housed in the building were relocated in anticipation of the current improvements project. Ford, Powell & Carson Architects teamed with Byrne Construction Services for this Design-Build project; the goal of the improvements project was to renovate the Plaza de Armas building to house the Office of Communications and Public Affairs and the Department of Culture and Creative Development, which included the design of two television studios.

The first floor houses a new 2,400 square foot multipurpose space curated by the Department of Culture and Creative Development and two 2,200 square foot televisions studios, one for Public Access and one for Government Access. The building housing the television studios has a completely new steel structure floating between the existing masonry party walls to provide sound isolation for the studios. The studios sit on a sound isolated floating concrete slab to further enhance the acoustics. A state-of-the-art Skyfold Door divides the two studios, which can be combined for larger performances and events. A twin suite of control rooms, editing suites and green rooms serve the two studios.

Back to Projects
McNay Art Museum Stieren Center for Exhibitions | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Cultural

McNay Art Museum Stieren Center for Exhibitions

scroll

For the Stieren Center for Exhibitions addition to the McNay Art Museum, Ford, Powell & Carson’s sixth project at the McNay, FPC collaborated with Jean-Paul Viguier in Paris, and the Paratus Group in New York, to create a 45,000 square foot pavilion intended for traveling exhibitions and changing shows organized from the Museum’s extensive but undisplayed holdings.

The Center forms a new entry to the museum and defers to the original 1927 Spanish Eclectic Revival villa, the core of the original museum, by nestling into the earth within the museum’s grounds, well below the roofs and towers of the villa. The Stieren Center for Exhibitions contains flexible galleries with movable display walls that do not engage the gallery’s ceilings, day-lit sculpture galleries, a 250 seat auditorium, offices, curatorial spaces and art storage, and a new gift shop.

The two level Stieren Center provides sculpture galleries, classrooms, and the auditorium in a below grade level opened to a sloping sculpture garden and landscape. At the museum’s ground floor are the new entry at the seam between the addition and existing building, a link to the interior courtyard of the villa, the gift shop and flexible galleries.

These spaces are top-lit by a complex system of skylights and shades above a mulit-layered fritted glass ceiling, filtering the harsh Texas sun. Fin walls and a 21 foot deep cantilevered sun-shade over the south façade help the building meet the strict requirements of the International Energy Code, despite the extensive use of exterior glazing.

Back to Projects
Goliad State Park Caretaker's Cottage | Ford, Powell & Carson

Craft / Historic Preservation / Governmental

Goliad State Park Caretaker’s Cottage

scroll

Goliad State Park is located in Goliad County, along the San Antonio River. FPC facilitated renovation of the 1930’s era Caretaker’s Cottage into the park’s new visitor center. The building incorporates meeting and interpretive spaces, offices, and restrooms. The new center focuses on the interpretation of the El Camino Real, which carried people from northwestern Louisiana, to San Antonio, and on to Mexico City. Original traces of the road can be seen at the park.

The park is also home to the restored Spanish Colonial era Mission Espiritu Santo, and this project included site improvements to the ruins of the 1750s Mission Rosario State Historic Site. The architects who restored the Mission in the 1930’s first built the Caretaker’s Cottage as a place to live and work during the project and they used the construction of the Cottage to try different building techniques that were later used to restore the Mission.

FPC was engaged to restore and preserve the 2,000 square foot cottage that was being used a ranger office, and convert it into the park visitor and interpretive center to tell the story of the original construction and craftsmanship of the cottage. The custodian cottage restoration includes a new cypress shingle roof, new lime plaster on the exterior, and a full restoration on the interior plaster. Original interior paint colors were sampled, and the original wall patterns were recreated. Historic doors, windows, large entry gate, and hardware were restored and reused where permitted by code including all of the stained wood trim and ceilings were reconditioned. The exterior courtyard was reconditioned by removing every paver and resetting it in its original location at new elevations to meet accessible codes. The cypress pergola and entry gates were recreated based off of historic images and drawings.

Back to Projects
South Texas Family Offices | Ford, Powell & Carson

Interior Design / Commercial

South Texas Family Offices

scroll

This intimate location was selected as the headquarters for this family business due to incredible views to the south, which showcases the San Antonio skyline on the horizon over a large expanse of trees. The added activity of airplane traffic headed to towards the building and the airport brings a dynamic quality to the serene view. Utilizing an open-office design challenged the way the business had previously been organized, and FPC assisted with change management for operations within the new 2,500 square foot space.

The entry area allows for views throughout the entire office, with the separation between work spaces establishing artworks and views outside as a theme. The open office floorplan places primary workers and the conference room against the windows to take advantage of the light and views. Private offices are placed in the back of the space, with demountable partitions for sound privacy. A flex area that can be used for small conferences or a dining/ lounge space for staff is located with access to the best views. An adjacent coffee bar provides a major node of activity to the office. Touchdown work spaces and additional flexible workstations are delineated throughout by open shelving, which allows for collaborative interaction and display space for the family’s substantial art collection. LED lighting, use of natural lighting, and roller shades on the exterior windows provide subtle elements of energy efficiency to the project.

Back to Projects
Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Courthouse and Post Office | Ford, Powell & Carson

Historic Preservation / Governmental / Sustainable

Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Courthouse and Post Office

scroll

The historic Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, located on the north side of Alamo Plaza, is the General Services Administration’s greenest building. The Courthouse is the first historic structure under the supervision of the GSA to receive certification as a LEED Platinum project from the U.S. Green Building Council. After a multi-million dollar renovation by Trivers and Associates with consultation by Ford Powell & Carson, the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building is now 40% more energy efficient. The renovation included the addition of a 13,000 square foot green roof planted with a variety of grasses and sedums, the largest green roof installation in Bexar County. The roof is located in the building’s central courtyard, above the former postal sorting rooms. It is irrigated by condensate collected from the building’s air conditioning system, and by ground water capture.

Interior of Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Courthouse and Post Office

The Courthouse also has rooftop solar panels for generation of power and heating of domestic water used in the building, drastically reducing demand on natural gas to heat water. Interior lighting is controlled by sensors that shut lights off when rooms are unoccupied. Heat deflecting film was added to the interior side of the building’s windows, reducing heat loads without altering the exterior appearance of the 1937 landmark. The Courthouse’s internal parking spaces now include charging stations for electric vehicles and priority parking for fuel efficient cars and trucks.

Sustainable features of the Hipolito F. Garcia Federar Building which contributed to it becoming the greenest building owned by the General Services Administration and acheiving LEED Platinum Certification

These innovations were integrated into the overall renovation of the Courthouse’s historic exterior without any visible changes to the structure. The cleaning and repair of the building’s limestone and tile exterior, metalwork, and clay tile roof were done using environmentally friendly techniques contributing to its LEED Platinum designation. One of the city’s most important historic public buildings is now its most environmentally responsible, a testament to good stewardship and the innovative re-thinking of the nature of renovation.

Back to Projects
Westside Multimodal Transit Center | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Historic Preservation / Governmental

Westside Multimodal Transit Center

scroll

The three and a half acre plaza has become the exchange point for all bus transfers in the downtown area for San Antonio’s transit agency, VIA, designed in partnership with Perkins Eastman.

The plaza is defined by a sweeping canopy topped by solar panels that provides shelter for passengers awaiting or transferring on the existing bus system. Centro Plaza also includes a mix of retail uses, public meeting space, and offices for VIAs Transit Police and other administrators. The diagonal axis through the plaza focuses on the early 20th Century International and Great Northern Railroad Terminal building, now an information and ticketing center for VIA, and the headquarters office building for the VIA system.

The plaza is a vast water collection system, funneled to underground storage. A bosc of trees interspersed with tables and chairs provides shade for visitors, passengers, and event goers. The plaza will be programmed with concerts, local festivals, food trucks, and public ceremonies. It is viewed as a catalytic project to spark redevelopment on the near west side of San Antonio.

As part of the complex of retail space and a community meeting room the existing Washington Hotel historic building was incorporated as offices for VIA police.

VIA Centro Plazan | Historic Washington Hotel

Back to Projects
San Antonio Area Foundation | Ford, Powell & Carson

Interior Design / Commercial

San Antonio Area Foundation

scroll

The San Antonio Area Foundation, a non-profit organization, relocated their new offices in the heart of the Pearl Development to encourage public access and make it much easier for small businesses to use the Foundation’s resources. Located on the ground floor and second floor of the Lab Building, the San Antonio Area Foundation has become an integral component in this rapidly expanding urban complex.

The ground floor contains meeting rooms designed as flexible gathering spaces that can be opened up or subdivided into smaller areas by movable partitions. They are organized around support spaces for catering, restrooms, and a main stair providing access to the upper level. A strong visual connection between meeting spaces and public areas is achieved through floor to ceiling glass. Materials such as heavy timber and steel evoke the combination of new and historic structures at the Pearl. The Reception Area is open and features a ceiling inspired by cloud shapes. The spaces incorporate an extensive art collection focusing on San Antonio images ranging from the Missions to the River Walk.

The second floor has open-plan offices for the staff of 35. Office spaces can be closed off from meeting rooms that are open to the public and accessible after regular business hours. These offices are arrayed along a gently curving path from the upper lobby. Natural Fir, light colors, and glass panels characterize the space. Shades fitted with solar sensors automatically modulate daylight steaming from tall windows. The San Antonio Area Foundation’s new location is open, welcoming, and supportive of their mission to serve the greater San Antonio community, and like the Pearl Brewery Development, enhancing downtown as a dynamic and progressive cultural center.

Back to Projects
Estancia on the Brazos | Ford, Powell & Carson

Architecture / Residential

Estancia on the Brazos

scroll

Grand old oak trees on this ranch were the driving factors in designing this 14,000SF winter home located in East Texas. Designed along the edge of small plateau, the layout of the home was carefully placed among the mature trees as to not cause harm during construction. The result of which was a closely arranged group of spaces linked by glass hallways that keep an uninterrupted flow from one room to another. This arrangement also allows almost every room to have a commanding view of the pasture and river below.

With the owners’ passion for all things that come with time, reclaimed materials were used as much as possible throughout the interior to the home. Reclaimed French limestone floors, antique oak beam trusses, and 18th century doors were used with hand crafted items to give a timeless feel to the residence. The exterior home was modeled to resemble a South American Hacienda. Thick walls up to 20” deep were used inside and out to keep with the architecture of the home. A stone base was utilized on all the exterior basement walls to reflect the fact the basement floor was excavated into the plateau. At the first floor level, the stone the walls transitions into sage color stucco that blends them into the surrounding pastures and foliage. The multicolor terracotta tile roof brings some color and contrast to the overall scheme of the home. While large in scale the home presents itself quietly behind the native trees, and only partial views can be obtain at one single moment.

Back to Projects
Texas County Courthouses | Ford, Powell & Carson

Historic Preservation / Governmental

Texas County Courthouses

scroll

The county courthouse lends a distinct architectural and historic character to almost every county in Texas. Celebrated as the physical and symbolic centerpiece of many city and town squares, the over 240 historic courthouses that dot the state embody a rich tapestry of architectural styles from the late-19th through early-20th centuries—from Romanesque to Neoclassical to Art Deco.

For over thirty years, FPC has been proud to contribute to restoration efforts for several notable Texas county courthouses. Our work began in 1990 with the exterior restoration of the 1896 Bexar County Courthouse on San Antonio’s vibrant Main Plaza. Designed by the celebrated Texas architect J. Reily Gordon, this striking example of the Richardson-Romanesque style was in need of significant repairs to its red sandstone walls, historic wood windows, roof, and the terra-cotta tiles on the main tower’s beehive dome.

Like the Bexar County Courthouse, the vast majority of the state’s historic county courthouses remain in active government use. Through the help of matching grants from the Texas Historic Courthouse Program, administered by the Texas Historical Commission, dozens of counties around the state have been able to carry out much-needed repairs and restorations to their historic courthouse structures since the program’s inception in 1998. Four FPC courthouse restoration projects that have benefited from this fantastic preservation initiative.

Caldwell County Courthouse

In 2000, FPC completed an extensive exterior restoration of the 1893 Caldwell County Courthouse in Lockhart—a wonderful example of Second Empire style architecture in Texas. In addition to repairs to the wood windows, masonry walls, and multiple mansard roofs, many original elements that had been lost, such as railings and ornamental metal work, were recreated based on historic photographs. Historic paint analysis allowed for the recreation of the historic polychrome paint scheme.

Complex roof repairs were also central for the restoration of the Hays County Courthouse, a Classical Revival building from 1909 in San Marcus. Hail damage and a combination of roofing materials, including copper, clay tile, and built-up roofing, created an interesting challenge for FPC’s Historic Preservation team. The copper dome was rebuilt with new reinforcement, while the statue atop the dome was restored to correct damage from water retention. Completed in 1998, this exterior restoration required special attention to the intersections of complex forms and materials.

The Maverick County Courthouse in Eagle Pass is one of the oldest standing courthouses in Texas. Since its completion in 1885, little change has been made to the historic fabric of this unique structure. During the restoration, completed by FPC in 2006, the roof was replaced and the historic clock was repaired. The exterior was returned to its historic paint colors and two south porches were reconstructed. On the interior, historic decorative finishes throughout the building were reconstructed while new MEP systems were seamlessly integrated into the existing spaces.

The historic Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville, now known as the Dancy Building, was constructed in 1912 and operated as the center of county government until 1979. Eleven years after the completion of a 2001 exterior restoration, certain building elements began showing signs of advanced deterioration. FPC was brought in to complete an initial conditions assessment in of the wood windows, terra cotta cladding, and roof, followed by a complete set of construction documents in 2013 for the repair and restoration of these elements to safeguard the historical features of this Neoclassical landmark.

Back to Projects
San Antonio Missions | Ford, Powell & Carson

Historic Preservation / Cultural

San Antonio Missions

scroll

The San Antonio Franciscan Missions encompass the City’s five 18th-century Spanish Colonial missions - Mission San Antonio de Valero/The Alamo, Mission San Jose, Mission Espada, Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission Concepción, along with their dozens of associated archaeological and historic sites. Spanning more than 260 years of history, the San Antonio Missions remain five of the most spectacular and complete examples of Spanish Colonial heritage in the United States. As active parish churches, four of the Missions also serve as vital elements in the social and religious lives of their local communities and in San Antonio.

For more than 60 years Ford, Powell & Carson, has been retained by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and the General Land Office of Texas to work on numerous historic preservation projects for these historic buildings. Work has included a maintenance manual for the four southern missions, comprehensive condition assessment of each mission, multi-phased building stabilization, moisture repair and monitoring, interior plaster repair, roof repair and replacement, as well as stabilization and conservation of carved stone façade details and structural stabilization on all four of the southernmost missions.

Mission Concepcion Interior | Mission San Jose Exterior Detail

Back to Projects