A Newsletter About Our Practice

Building on the Momentum of our 2024 Design Awards

Receiving two AIA Dallas Design Awards and a Faith & Form Religious Architecture Award is a milestone that builds on the momentum of our ongoing commitment to design excellence and innovation. These accolades celebrate the creativity and dedication of our team while affirming the enduring quality of our work. It is deeply rewarding to have our efforts recognized by our peers, whose judgment and expertise we greatly admire.

These awards reflect the strength of our firm’s culture—a shared vision that drives us to push boundaries and embrace new opportunities. They highlight our dedication to crafting spaces that inspire and serve the communities we are privileged to work with. This recognition energizes us to keep delivering impactful projects that contribute to a built environment and enrich lives and foster connection.

“Entering 2025, we are fueled by a renewed passion for our craft and a focus on what makes our work unique. We approach each project with care and collaboration, embracing challenges as opportunities to tell a story that matters. These awards are a reflection of that commitment, and we are excited to continue creating meaningful places that resonate long after the work is done.”

Design Principal

Unbuilt Design Award

AIA Dallas

“This project allowed us to take the client’s vision for a mission critical facility and expand the program onto the site in ways that engaged the surrounding neighborhood, created entertainment venues, and established a gateway for the entire district. The resulting architecture exemplified an incredible and collaborative process that celebrated the client’s core purpose while serving the broader public.”

Associate Principal

Senior Design Leader

“In a world that continues to prioritize exclusivity and superiority, this project serves as a beacon of belonging and a testament to the idea that public space is for everyone.”

Beth Schmidt

Senior Design Leader

The Public Broadcast Facility’s terracing architecture blends seamlessly with the surrounding nature of Katy Trail and is intentionally juxtaposed with a towering illuminated ‘box’ establishing an iconic statement. Content projected on the illuminated facade delivers high visibility to the site from those driving past while creating an entertainment destination for pedestrians and those on the trail.

Project Team —

Maria Gomez
Mark Holsinger
Beth Schmidt
Blake Thames
Jon Rollins
Andrew Adkison
Jason Cave
Levi Hooten

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Honorable Mention

AIA Dallas

“Designing a sacred space is about crafting an environment that fosters reflection, connection, and reverence. Collaborating with Concordia University, a client that deeply values both the spiritual and environmental impact of the project, allowed us to approach the design holistically. This ensured that the chapel would not only serve as a sanctuary for worship but also integrate sustainably and harmoniously into the campus. It is an honor to have received recognition for this design.”

Principal

Director of Faith & Community Practice

Concordia University in Austin, Texas engaged GFF to design a new purpose-built Chapel that would reflect its Lutheran theological values. The new Chapel is conceived as a luminous glass vitrine nestled within an existing stone-walled outdoor classroom. This design approach not only minimizes disruption to the mature trees and natural contours of the site but also establishes a profound dialogue between the campus’s existing architecture and the new Chapel.

By juxtaposing the existing stone walls with the ethereal glass structure, the Chapel achieves a delicate balance between privacy and openness, shielding the sacred space from the campus’s activity while framing expansive views of the natural world and the sky above. This thoughtful integration exemplifies Concordia’s commitment to honoring its heritage and the environment through innovative and respectful architectural design.

Project Team —

Jacquelyn Block
Loren Boynton
Andrew Adkison
Emily Mendez
Becca Vahldick
Camille Vigil
Jim West
Stephen Pickard
Brian Kuper
Don Kubala
Farris McNabb
Levi Hooten

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New Facilities Award

Faith And Form International Awards Program for Religious Architecture & Art

“The Hasley Chapel is a testament to the enduring partnership between St. Andrew Methodist Church and GFF. Designed to celebrate its natural surroundings, the chapel features stone, rooted in the earth, and wood, drawn from the forest, fostering a profound connection to nature. Overlooking a tranquil creek and pond, this intimate 300-seat venue offers a serene and harmonious setting for worship, reflection, and celebration.”

Senior Design Leader

The stand-alone chapel on St. Andrew Methodist Church’s 21-acre campus in Plano, Texas, is envisioned as a sanctuary that harmonizes with its stunning natural surroundings. Nestled in the scenic northwest corner, the chapel overlooks a tranquil creek and pond, creating a serene backdrop that invites reflection and worship.

The 300 seat Chapel is designed to foster intimacy and community and serves as a sacred space for weddings, funerals, worship services, and small conferences. It stands as a testament to the legacy of Rev. Robert Hasley, the founding pastor, his legacy, and his ministry.  Conceptualized as “a chapel in the woods,” the seating is oriented to the dramatic view of the creek and pond, echoing the tranquility of Robert’s cherished home in Arkansas. The simple floor plan guides people in a procession from the glass entrance on the south, through the narthex, into the chapel and view beyond where nature and architecture converge.

Crafted from natural materials like wood and stone, the chapel embodies warmth and invitation, seamlessly blurring the boundaries between the outdoors and the sacred interior.

Consultant Team —

Project Advocates – Owner’s Representative
Spiars Engineering – Civil
Leeming Design Group – Landscape Architecture
Kevin Clark – Landscape Architecture
RLG Consulting Engineers – Structural engineer
Summit Consultants, Inc – MEP engineer
Clear Pro Av. Inc – AVL.
Acoustic Design Associates, Inc. – Acoustics
Chad Davis – Photography
Charles Davis Smith – Drone Photography

Project Team —

Loren Boynton
Emily Mendez
Michael Lehr
Jacquelyn Block
Stephen Pickard
Don Kubala
Lena Starostine
Becca Vahldick
Morgan Harrison
Lance Braht

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