A combination of historic renovation and modern upgrades prepares a city cultural icon for a new era.

The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building’s roof, designed to resemble the billowing clouds of Texas—and including 23 separate structures—proved to be this museum project’s biggest challenge.

Technology and modeling solutions help bring striking design elements to life at the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, which was named the Texas & Louisiana Project of the Year.

This spectacular performance venue, which seats 3,600, was carved out of a mountain facing the Persian Gulf. Developed by the Emirate of Sharjah, considered the cultural capital of the United Arab Emirates, it was Inspired by Roman amphitheaters and Islamic design but also has 21st century technology features /p>

This movie-making museum consists of a major renovation to a 1930’s building plus a soaring spherical addition that will house a 1,000-seat theater.

Regarded as the most important building for Rice University for the next 100 years, the $77-million Brockman Hall for Opera required exceptional acoustical integrity and a striking European design.

With the Beth Yeshurun Sophia and Jack Bender Memorial Chapel funded by a single donation, the project team worked to balance costs with thoughtful design elements that would honor Jewish ceremonial traditions and the Bender family’s legacy.

The St. Louis Zoo  Primate Canopy Trails are home to 40 primates representing 14 different species. When lead design firm PGAV Destinations and general contractor Tarlton Corp. began work on the 35,000-sq-ft expansion to the existing primate house in late 2019, one of their biggest challenges was planning work around chimpanzees, lemurs and colobus monkeys. 

New award category emphasizes importance of sustainability in both design and construction.

The woven bird’s nest pattern in this new performing arts center mimics that of Alta High School’s hawk mascot, and the placement of its 1,400-seat auditorium in the center of the building suggests a hawk’s nest.