Cliff Whittingstall, Managing Senior Principal, PBK Architects
In an interview with Invest:, Cliff Whittingstall, managing senior principal at PBK Architects, said that adaptability and diversification are key to navigating San Antonio’s shifting economic and development landscape. “For a long time, we were riding a strong wave of educational projects, and we didn’t need to think beyond that. But about a year and a half ago, we realized we needed to diversify more aggressively.”
Reflecting on this past year, what were some of PBK’s notable projects or highlights?
Last year, we were ranked No. 1 by the San Antonio Business Journal for architecture firms, which was a huge accomplishment for PBK. Our San Antonio office has grown significantly — we’re now a team of about 70. We’ve been working extensively with Alamo Colleges, one of our top clients, and we’ve also had major projects with the Texas A&M University System and the San Antonio Independent School District.
However, a notable shift we’ve seen is a decrease in educational work across San Antonio and the surrounding areas compared to previous years. We anticipated this change, likely due to post-COVID shifts in demand, and made some strategic hires to diversify our portfolio. We’ve increasingly focused on corporate, commercial, civic, and municipal projects. That diversification is gaining momentum and has helped us remain agile and flexible in a changing economic landscape. Despite continued population growth, we’re seeing slower building activity. Housing has slowed down, and other sectors are feeling the effects too. So, one of our main goals this year is to remain adaptable and broaden our capabilities.
What makes San Antonio an ideal location for PBK?
From a business perspective, it’s great to be in one of the top 10 largest cities in the country. San Antonio continues to grow steadily every year, much like the rest of Texas, and we’re well-positioned here. Our office is located right in central San Antonio in the Pyramid building, which allows us to manage projects throughout the city and surrounding areas efficiently.
In terms of quality of life, San Antonio is a large city with a relatively low cost of living, yet it still offers amenities like museums, hiking and biking trails, fine dining, and vibrant cultural events. The city’s rich cultural atmosphere, highlighted by things like Fiesta and, of course, the Spurs, makes it attractive, especially to young professionals and newcomers who may not have considered it in the past.
What growth opportunities do you foresee in the area, especially as you’re expanding into new sectors?
Education continues to be our core focus — it’s our bread and butter. We’ll keep serving higher education and K–12 projects across the San Antonio area and the state of Texas. That said, there’s a growing number of businesses relocating here due to tax incentives and economic opportunities. We’re seeing a lot of industrial and manufacturing growth, especially on the south side of the city. The Toyota plant, for example, is expanding, and other manufacturers are following.
Higher education institutions are also experiencing growth. Alamo Colleges expects significant expansion over the next five years, and the same goes for Texas A&M–San Antonio. Our goal is to stay ahead of this curve and continue providing top-tier client service.
Considering current economic trends, how are they influencing your projects in Central Texas?
Workforce development is a major area of focus right now. There’s a national shortage of skilled labor — plumbers, welders, auto mechanics, HVAC technicians — and our educational clients are responding to that. Almost every higher education project we’re working on includes some component of workforce training.
For instance, we’re handling several projects for Alamo Colleges that center on career training, such as programs in nursing and other skilled trades. At the K–12 level, we’re seeing similar themes. We’re also working on an automotive and electric vehicle program for Austin Community College. There has been a societal shift; many parents once pushed their kids toward four-year degrees, but now they’re realizing that a two-year degree or technical certification can lead to a great career and lifestyle. Institutions like Alamo Colleges, Austin Community College, and Texas State Technical College are leading this charge, and nearly all our educational projects now include workforce training components.
How does San Antonio’s unique cultural background influence your architectural approach?
It really depends on the client. Take Texas A&M–San Antonio, for example. They have a strong Hispanic and mission-style architectural influence, and we incorporate those elements into our designs. With Alamo Colleges, each campus has a distinct architectural identity, so our goal is to design buildings that not only align with the existing context but also feel modern and appealing to today’s students. We want the architecture to reflect the community, inspire future generations, and help recruit potential students.
How are rising construction costs affecting your operations, and what do you see on the horizon?
The past five years have been unprecedented. Construction costs have nearly doubled, and that has made it challenging to balance project budgets with client expectations. We’re constantly working with clients to prioritize their scope and program, making sure they get the necessary classrooms, labs, and other spaces within their allocated budget.
Costs are starting to stabilize but haven’t decreased, and it’ll be interesting to see how the economy plays out in the next six months. It’s a delicate balance between budget and schedule, and it ensures the finished project still aligns with the client’s original goals and values.
How would you assess the quality of the labor pool in architecture and design?
Fortunately, we’ve consistently been able to attract high-quality architectural and design professionals to our San Antonio office. I think much of that is due to our strong internal culture. We emphasize community involvement, host monthly office lunches and outings, hold an annual family picnic and a Christmas party, and even have sports teams. That sense of community has made our firm an appealing place to work, and we receive a steady stream of resumes from qualified candidates.
We’re seeing more challenges on the construction side — contractors are having a hard time finding enough skilled laborers, plumbers, electricians, and so on. That shortage is making projects take longer and driving up costs. But within our PBK office specifically, we’ve been lucky not to feel those impacts directly, at least not in terms of our internal staffing.
What are your top priorities for PBK in San Antonio over the next two to three years?
Our focus is on being nimble, flexible, and diverse. For a long time, we were riding a strong wave of educational projects, and we didn’t need to think beyond that. But about a year and a half ago, we realized we needed to diversify more aggressively.
While we’ll continue working on educational projects, we’re also expanding our business development efforts into the corporate, civic, and commercial sectors. We have a full in-house interior team now, which allows us to handle interior finish-outs and furniture projects more efficiently. Additionally, we have all of our consulting services — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, technology, landscape, and building envelope — under one roof. That gives us the ability to offer a true one-stop shop for fast-turnaround projects, including those funded by grants. If a client needs a project completed in three months, we can say yes because we have the team and resources to make it happen.
