What a year!

2025 flew by, and was defined by steady progress, incredible work, and a lot of shared

momentum across the firm. Here in the U.S., projects reached important milestones in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and beyond, including the completion of Springdale Green, 816 Congress, Rainey Street Trailhead, The Modern, and Paradox Cove. Construction began both on site and on-structure at 5210 North Lamar, and our work at the Confluence of Waller Creek (with the incredible MVVA at the helm), UTSA and the Monarch Hotel at Hemisfair Park continued to move steadily toward completion in early 2026. It was a year where many long-running efforts truly came into focus.

Along the way, our team was honored in ways that feel especially meaningful. Springdale Green achieved both LEED and SITES Gold certification and was named Project of the Year at the Commercial Real Estate Awards. 816 Congress received the ULI Austin Best Design Award,and St. John Encampment Commons was recognized by SCUP and even featured on Central Texas Gardener. These moments of recognition reflect the care, clarity, and ecological thinking that guide our work every day.

Across the Atlantic, our UK office celebrated being one year young (!) and made an outsized impact throughout England and Ireland - advancing work rooted in urban ecology, adaptive reuse, and public realm design that is deeply connected to purpose and place. Watching that studio grow under Mehron’s leadership has been a real highlight.

The year was also shaped by individual growth and achievement. Cassie, Kevin, and Kyle were promoted to Associate Principal, and team members firm-wide taught and mentored at universities, presented at national conferences, appeared on podcasts, and even took the stage at Pecha Kucha 39. We were excited to welcome Ben, Anna, and Shannon to the studio, and we continued to support professional development through programs like AIA’s Leadership Collective while delivering complex work across multiple markets. Behind the scenes, the work remained focused, collaborative, and deeply engaged.

Community continues to sit at the heart of our studio culture. In 2025, the team contributed more than 200 volunteer hours, partnering with organizations such as TreeFolks, the Colorado River Alliance, Urban Roots, and Waterloo Greenway. These relationships reflect our shared commitment to land stewardship, environmental advocacy, food access, and the long-term care of public spaces.

Within the studio, there were plenty of personal milestones, too - marriages, new babies, new pets, and family firm celebrations and traditions like April Fools, Halloween, Friendsgiving, and Blanco Elefante continued to bring us together. As we look toward our sixteenth year, we also began a strategic planning effort to help refocus our energy toward twenty years of design excellence in 2030.

As we look ahead to 2026, we do so with real gratitude for the year behind us and optimism for the work ahead. Thank you to our clients, collaborators, and community partners for being part of another impactful year at dwg.

Onwards and upwards,

Daniel

Photo credits include The Modern, Andrea Calo, John Hart-Asher, Kristian Alveo, and dwg.