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CONSTRUCTION
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The Industry’s Newspaper Montrose Street Art
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(210) 308-5800
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Volume 13
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Number 7
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JULY 2016
Explore, dream, discover
Pedal to the metal
studioMET Architects won Firm of the Year Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Houston Chapter for 2016.
Tommy Cloy loves spending time in Bolivar when he isn’t working.
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mployees at studioMET Architects feel lucky to get to do what they really enjoy and help grow the practice to include more residential and small commercial work. The firm's partners, Yoon You, AIA, Stephen Andrews, AIA, and Shawn Gottschalk, AIA, are licensed architects and registered in the state of Texas. Associate Florence Tang, AIAA, says the firm works on projects in Houston and is starting to do projects beyond the city including in Austin, Brooklyn, NY and India. The early days at the company were lean, as it is with any firm starting out. “We grew and were able to balance the quality of design and construction by
tailoring the practice to offer design and build services,” Tang said. “We have always worn multiple hats. We also offer real estate services, which allows us to be a boutique shop with the expertise of acquisition to turn key. “Our referrals have taken us from initial multi-family projects to custom single family projects. We take pride in working with repeat clients. To us, a satisfied client is the best outcome of our work.” The firm believe it's important to get into the community and support design awareness. “Good design, coupled with quality construction, can affect how people live and work,” Tang said. continued on Page 18
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tarting out welding for a living in the ‘70s, owner Tommy Cloy and his wife Brenda opened Magnoliabased MWS Inc. in 1983. Cloy says he enjoys what he does today because he makes a good living and also has fun. “I really enjoy building things and helping people,” he said. According to Cloy, last year the company had many projects on the books and has finally caught up with all the work. “Sales have been very consistent for the past few years,” he said. “Right now, as bad as the weather has been and as wet as it is, we are doing about anything we can get to that is dry.
“With all the flooding and high water in the area it is so wet it is hard to get a building started.” Every year around November, the company has an employee Thanksgiving party the Wednesday before the holiday. “We like to have a fish fry at the shop,” Cloy said. “We also have a Christmas party in December. Sometimes we will all go out to eat too.” When Cloy isn’t working he loves spending time outdoors. He likes going salt water fishing near his his place in Bolivar. “I have spent time in Bolivar for about three years now,” he said. “I like to go to Bolivar just to be by the beach. continued on Page 18
Reaching the finish line
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ocus Construction LLC completed 12,000sf Louetta Road Retail project located in Spring in February. The owner is NSHE TX Penguin Tetra LLC. Project manager and Locus Construction owner Jeff Nuche says the approximate cost of the new ground up construction retail project is $1.3 million. Locus Construction self performed all the metal framing and drywall for the project. According to Nuche, the primary construction materials used were steel structure with CMU exterior walls, storefront glazing system with EIFS façade and single ply roof membrane. The major challenge the construction team met and overcame was the rainy weather. “We have had so much rain this year and this delayed things during the project,” he said. “There weren’t many other challenges other than the weather.”
Nuche says Locus Construction had a great experience working with Heights Venture Architects. “We have had the opportunity to work with Heights Venture Architects for the past few years,” he said. “They are a very skilled architecture firm working in the retail market segment of construction.” Locus Construction also enjoyed working with the owner. “This was our first time working with the owner,” he said. “Since the owner was a single person development company, there was a streamlined decision making process throughout the project,” he said. Based in The Woodlands, Locus Construction provides pre-construction services, general contracting, construction management and design build services. The Louetta Road Retail
continued on Page 18