Texas Society of Architects: Publications Committee Visits Dallas

Images by Filo Castore, AIA

Brantley Hightower, AIA

TSA Publications Commitee Chair

The TSA Publications Committee meets every two months at the TSA offices in Austin to discuss the most recently published issue of Texas Architect and to assist the staff in acquiring content for upcoming issues. Once a year we also have a "retreat" meeting where we meet at a different venue so that we have a chance to see projects featured in the magazine in regions of the state we may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit. Perhaps more importantly, these retreats also provide an opportunity for the committee to interact with members of local chapters in a more direct way.

The past two years these retreats have been held in Houston and El Paso. This past weekend the committee gathered in Dallas for the 2010 retreat. This gave us a chance to visit the two new venues at the AT&T Performing Arts Center as well as several other recently completed projects in the area. While the Wyly Theatre and Winspear Opera House are truly remarkable individual pieces of architecture, the most compelling part of their individual designs is how they collectively contribute to the city that surrounds them. Dallas has undergone a steady metamorphosis in the last few decades that has gone much deeper than a few signature buildings. The very fabric of the city has been recast by innumerable projects large and small that speak to the ability of architecture to redefine a place. Those of us on the Publication Committee thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to experience that transformation first hand.

Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House

Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre

Vel Hawes, FAIA, leads tour of Booker T. Washington High School

Of course, the trip wasn't all looking at cool buildings and socializing with local architects. As its name might suggest, the retreat also provides the Publication Committee an opportunity to consider more global topics relating to TSA publications. While the state of Texas Architect is strong, we are always looking for ways to improve the quality of the content and make it more relevent to the readership. At this particular retreat we discussed how additional or expanded content could find its way into both the magazine and onto an expanded TSA Web presence. There were many ideas put on the table, and the discussion will definitely continue at the next committee meeting in May. We look forward to sharing these ideas with you in the coming months and do of course welcome any thoughts or suggestions you might have for us as well.

Cook Residence designed by Booth Nagel