Lake Flato Architects

The tools we use are changing faster than the questions they raise. As artificial intelligence reshapes how creative firms design and operate, the deeper challenge is not adoption. It is discernment. In their proposed SXSW 2027 session, our Director of Design Technology, Daniel Stine, AIA, IES, CSI, CDT, Well AP joins Keith Hempel and Nicholas Kramer of LPA, Inc. and Sean C. Harry of WATG and Wimberly Interiors to explore exactly that. Titled "Human + AI," the panel will examine how creative organizations can lead through AI without sacrificing the things that matter most: craft, trust, and genuine innovation. Community voting for the SXSW PanelPicker is open now through August 23. If this is a conversation you want to see on the SXSW stage, vote for the session here: https://bit.ly/4gyUou5.

Texas Society of Architects’ feature “Return to the Elements” tells the story behind the transformation of 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay on Kaua'i's north shore. An exercise in restraint, the design opted to remove rather than add, framing the lush site and honoring local craft and traditions. Previously, the hotel on the site was made up of a series of concrete resorts, sealed off from the very landscape that makes the island extraordinary. The most radical decision came first: removing the enclosed lobby and opening the building to the island. In its place, an open-air arrival draws guests toward framed views of Hanalei Bay, past native ʻulu and kukui plantings and an FSC-certified cedar trellis shaped by local vernacular forms. When it rains, and it usually does here, water cascades from its edges like the falls on the distant mountains. The performance followed naturally: 35% of the site was restored as greenspace, irrigation water use was cut by 75%, and the project earned LEED certification. The reduced footprint created a richer connection to place. As Texas Society of Architects notes, the project "avoids the two traps most common to sustainable-forward projects"—neither greenwashing nor overengineering but rather working to integrate performance and experience. “Overall, it testifies that the best projects consider performance and experience as an integrated problem, especially when renovating existing structures that are deficient in both." For us, that balance was the whole point. The experience and the performance had to advance together, or neither would hold. Thank you to Texas Architects for so beautifully telling the story. Read the full feature: https://bit.ly/3TU90vg Photography: Sharlene Pennington, Mikkel Vang, Kurt Westerlund Client: 1 Hotels Hanalei Bay Design Architect: Lake Flato Architects Architect of Record & Civil Engineer: G70 Contractor: Layton Construction, PCL Construction Structural Engineer: BASE MEP Engineer: Interface Engineering, Inc. Interior Designer: NICOLEHOLLIS Landscape Architect: PBR HAWAII & Associates, Inc. Sustainability/LEED Consultant: Brightworks Sustainability MPF Engineer: Dorvin D. Leis Pool (Design-Build): Pacific AquaScapes Low Voltage and Technology: Engineering Plus LF team: David Lake, James Thoreen, Darby Prendergast, Jonathan Smith

We are looking to grow our team! Come join the fun!

Set on a wooded two-acre property, Bridge House takes its name from the original crossing that spanned a private ravine, a tributary to Buffalo Bayou. A new pedestrian bridge extends the double-height living space into the landscape, carrying the bridge motif through interior and exterior alike. Recently featured in Mercedes-Benz Group AG magazine article "Bridges, Bayous & Beyond," the home reflects an approach that Lake Flato architect Vicki Yuan describes simply: "To honour the natural character of a place. Its history, its ecology, and its terrain." Every material was chosen to blend with its setting. Dark metal cladding echoes the bark of the surrounding pines, a limestone facade grounds the home in its region, and warm walnut paneling carries the woodland indoors. At the heart of it all, a two-story window frames the ravine and the trees beyond, holding the spirit of "New York meets Houston" that shaped the project from the start. Read the full feature: https://lnkd.in/e9Fp_MwG Photography: Casey Dunn Architect: Lake Flato Architects Interior Designer: Rottet Studio Landscape Architect: Studio Outside Landscape Architects Structural: Scott Williamson, P.E. MEP: Collaborative Engineering Group Civil: Andrew Lonnie Sikes, Inc. Lighting Design: Studio Lumina LEED Consultant: Eco-Synergy Advisors Building Envelope: Acton Partners Consulting General Contractor: R.B. Ratcliff & Associates LF Team: Ted Flato, Vicki Yuan, Megan Toma, Karla Edwards, Brian Korte, Joshua Nieves.

Lake Flato Architects is looking for a forward-thinking, energetic Intermediate Interior Designer (Commercial) to join our award-winning, sustainability focused design practice in Austin or San Antonio, Texas. If you're passionate about architectural interiors, furnishings, and creating thoughtful, high-performance spaces—and have experience with architectural interiors project workflows—we'd love to hear from you. For more information and to apply, click the link: https://bit.ly/4sBdumv

We join the design community in remembering Pliny Fisk III—a visionary, innovator, and longtime collaborator whose work with the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems reshaped how generations of architects think about regenerative design and the built environment. We are grateful to have shared in his work and extend our deepest sympathies to Gail Vittori, their family, and the entire CMPBS community. In honor of Pliny's extraordinary legacy, Lake Flato is making a donation to the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems. If you'd like to join us, please click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/4x8ICvP

Happy #NationalInternDay to our 2026 cohort. Each year, our interns bring fresh perspectives, curiosity, and creativity to Lake Flato, making meaningful contributions to our projects, our culture, and our communities. Their enthusiasm and dedication strengthen our teams and inspire new ways of thinking. To our outstanding interns: thank you for your hard work, passion, and the impact you've made across the firm. We're grateful to have you as part of the Lake Flato community! Eva Martin, Nevaeh Budworth, Olivia Bowness, Praniti Bhoir, Valeria Zamula #NationalInternDay #Internship #AEC

We're excited to share that Lake Flato Partner Brandi Rickels will be presenting as part of the 2026 AIA San Diego and AIA Palomar Lecture Series. Join Brandi Rickels as she shares insights into designing award-winning educational environments that connect people, place, and purpose. Drawing from Lake Flato's collaborative, place-based approach, she'll explore how thoughtful, sustainable design creates campuses that inspire learning, foster community, and respond to their unique climate, culture, and landscape. Learn more about the session and event details: https://bit.ly/4bavttL

What does it mean to build a regenerative practice? We are grateful to be featured in The American Institute of Architects (AIA)’s latest article by Justin R. Wolf, which explores what it takes for a firm to live by the same principles it brings to its projects. For us, regenerative practice is not only about the buildings we design. It is about how we operate, how we hire, how we train, and how we grow. That commitment has taken shape over the past several years. We earned our Just label in 2019 as a measure of transparency around equity and workplace practices, and later achieved B Corp status. In 2024, our renovated San Antonio office became WELL v2 Certified at the Platinum Level. As Heather Holdridge, our Director of Design Performance, put it in the article: "It has been a real learning experience. We have been pretty transparent in the office about what our shortcomings have been. It is a journey we are still on. All these things are in the same spirit that we aspire to on projects for clients." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4gq2UMw

The Fountain Valley School project has moved from vision to reality with a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the start of construction on this transformative campus initiative. A variety of community members gathered to commemorate this significant milestone and mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the campus. The Fountain Valley School Master Plan will reimagine the heart of campus through the addition of a new Academic Center, complemented by new pedestrian pathways and a thoughtfully designed landscape featuring native grasses and plantings inspired by the Colorado plains. Together, these new buildings and outdoor spaces will strengthen connections to the historic heart of campus while creating a welcoming campus entrance, enhancing the arrival experience, and fostering a vibrant environment for learning, creativity, and community for generations to come. Explore the project here: https://bit.ly/4fi0BZu LF Team: Greg Papay, Brandi Rickels, Danny Davy, and Ben Meyer.