Overland Partners Reshaping the Way We Think About Architecture

A rchitecture is never just a building. San Antonio-based architecture firm Overland Partners has embraced that idea, using its work to make a difference in ways that transcend the built environment. Founded in 1987, the firm focuses on developing innovative design solutions that address client and community challenges. With projects across Texas, throughout the United States, and around the globe, Overland has a reputation for delivering designs that are conscious of their environmental, social, and aesthetic context—an approach that goes beyond the traditional ideas of what an architect firm should produce.

Embracing the Future of Technology

The team at Overland actively explores ways to improve the experience of their clients and stakeholders through the adoption of new technologies. Overland was one of the first architecture and design firms to embrace virtual reality (VR). It was decided early on that the firm would invest in the immersive technology as part of their business model. The firm’s use of VR to aid its designs has also improved interactions with stakeholders by allowing them to experience the look and feel of a space earlier in the process. VR has become an effective communication tool the firm uses to help stakeholders better understand their projects and supports design approvals. Overland recently designed a mixed-use space in downtown San Antonio’s historic Hemisfair Park that includes an office building, public park, hotel, retail and restaurant space. The firm leveraged VR to engage multiple stakeholders during the early stages of the project to build consensus and garner support from city leaders. Aiming to showcase spaces for lease in the office building design, local real estate brokers partnered with Overland to utilize the technology to provide virtual tours to potential tenants in the pre-leasing process of the property.

Responsible Sustainability

Overland is dedicated to promoting smart and responsible design using sustainable techniques and design elements. When the firm decided a new office was needed to accommodate growth and better reflect firm culture, moving the practice into downtown San Antonio revealed a greater opportunity to revitalize a city block and transform an early 20th-century warehouse into an innovative and functional studio space. The project won the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE)

Top Ten Award, one of the most prestigious programs in the industry celebrating structures that use a thor- oughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide architectural solutions which protect and enhance the environment. With a coffee shop tenant sharing the building, the Hughes Warehouse has become an anchor in the city center’s stunning renaissance. City leaders congregate at the coffee shop, arts events and festivals pass through the courtyard; the Warehouse has created a place for citizens to live, work, and play on the banks of the San Antonio River.

Rethinking Challenge

When approached to enhance and expand an existing office park design, Overland recognized the opportunity to improve outcomes across the board. Overland’s approach to the Champion Office Park embodied principles usually applied to homes and educational spaces that incorporate environments that encourage connection to nature and human contact. The site needed to be rethought, but it had the capacity for internal consistency, flow, and cohesion. Two four-story glass and limestone office buildings, along with a vine-clad parking garage, were set at different elevations on the sloping site/cliff, carefully balancing access and efficiency for its occupants while minimizing cut and fill. Prior to completion, the offices were leased to Indeed, a leading global employment search engine, and serve as an excellent example of how a project can be sensitive to human needs and the environment while remaining profitable

In December, the Urban Land Institute (ULI announced a new chairman and a new president for its Americas region, which serves the Institute’s members in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The mission of ULI is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

Global Board member and ULI Treasurer John R. “Jack” Chandler, founder of Majesteka Investments Holdings and chief investment officer and board member for Reterro, Inc., and former managing director and chairman of BlackRock’s Global Real Estate business in New York City, has been named chairman of the Americas region, a volunteer role that includes service as chairman of the Americas Executive Committee. He and his fellow committee members will lead the implementation of ULI’s Strategic Plan for the Americas region, which is part of the Global Strategic Plan approved by the Institute’s Global Board of Directors in

May 2018. The plan’s priorities include delivering greater member value through investments in people and technology to improve member connections and involvement; strengthening and broadening ULI’s member networks; and encouraging more philanthropic giving to expand ULI’s reach.

Multifamily industry leader Gwyneth Jones Cote, who most recently served as chief operating officer for Bell Partners, has joined ULI’s staff as the president of the Americas region. She will work closely with Chandler and the Americas Executive Committee, as well as ULI’s global leadership and staff to ensure that the Institute maximizes member engagement in the Americas region through the implementation of the Strategic Plan. She will also make certain that ULI’s work in the Americas aligns with the Institute’s work in the Europe and Asia Pacific regions, and that it reinforces a culture of philanthropy that results in more resources to support ULI’s missiondriven activities.

The chapter announced its the new officers for 2019.

President – Janet Shipley, CPM®, CBRE, AMO®

President-Elect – Kaci Hancock, CPM®, ACoM, Wulfe Management Services, Inc.

Treasurer – Sheryl Green, CPM®, Camden Property Trust, AMO® Vice President of Education – Robert Tyler, CPM®, JLL Vice President of Membership – Erin Holland, CPM®, Stream Realty Partners, L.P., AMO®

Vice President of Services – Natalie Woodard, CPM®, Accesso Services

Vice President of Communication – Kim Hannigan, ACoM, Transwestern, AMO®

Vice President of Legislative – Stephanie Sides-Sembera, CPM®, Transwestern, AMO®

Member-At-Large – Greg Sherman, CPM®, Brookfield Properties

Member-At-Large – Laura Harvey, CPM®, Stream Realty Partners, L.P., AMO®

Immediate Past President – Stephanie Swanson, CPM®, Transwestern, AMO®

President Janet Shipley, CPM® has served in many capacities. At CBRE, she is an Associate Director overseeing 3.6 million square feet including the AIG Houston Portfolio.