3 min read January 2024 — Sean O’Brien, CEO of O’Brien Architects, talked to Invest: about the importance of architect firms becoming advisors to developers to grow. He also talked about how live 3D modeling has changed not only how the firm designs buildings but also empowers them to collaboratively explore a cohesive vision for a project. Additionally, he talked about the opportunities that exist in a troublesome economic environment.
How does O’Brien Architects’ 50 years of experience in North Texas help in the company’s strategy to tackle the future?
One of the advantages of O’Brien is that we have meaningful relationships in which we become trusted advisors for clients. For instance, we have some incredibly special dynamics with prolific developers such as Billingsley Company. We can have open and honest conversations about the future. Not everyone in the industry is so open to constantly learning, adapting, and growing. We feel privileged to have clients like them who are always looking to be part of what’s next. Our ability to collaborate with clients leads to successful projects and enables us to grow deeper and wider into various market segments.
It has been a rewarding and exciting trajectory for us to go from smaller scale, lower density projects in industrial and retail real estate to take over more iconic deals such as master planning the Star, designing the Star District as well the residential tower, Twelve Cowboys Way, in Frisco, Texas. The biggest milestone of my career at O’Brien Architects was working with my father to win the master planning for that project. We landed it as a team. It was because my father is a great planner and was a trusted advisor for Blue Star Land and Lincoln Property Company, and I was the lead designer with an awesome team behind me. He focused on working on the plan and the relationships while I was in the background working on the design. We were also part of the initial master planning at PGA development in Frisco. We are in with the biggest names because of the way we work and the fact that we are true to ourselves.
How has technology transformed the way O’Brien Architects delivers value to its clients?
I love working with clients, doing design and master planning, which is a lot of what my father did. He was mainly used to sketching as part of the design process, while I am into 3D modeling. As part of a project, I focused on taking sketches and transforming them into a 3D model that we could explore with clients. 3D modeling has enabled us to become storytellers about the environment as that technology allows clients to envision the final product.
Where are the biggest opportunities for O’Brien Architects to grow in the North Texas real estate landscape?
Multifamily and mixed-use were a large part of our revenue last year, but we are very diversified. That’s something we are very intentional about. There have been some interesting shifts in the market. We are working on many large, highly complex projects ranging from around $80 million to $200 million budgets. Many projects of that size have been shelved. Nevertheless, we do large-scale master plans for all types of products. We know the metrics to make them work and can confidently go to developers and present plans that meet their metrics and engage the community, which is a major added value for us.
We are seeing how major sectors for us, such as industrial manufacturing, mission critical, cold storage, self-storage, entertainment-based retail, and commercial interiors are doing well. That gives us the advantage of having work flowing. On the other hand, these projects are more quickly hit. We do large-scale master plans for all types of products. We know the metrics to make them work and can confidently go to developers and present plans that meet their metrics and engage the community, which is a major added value for us.
As far as partnerships, we are strategic about focusing on the actual decision-maker, and key influencers, which is where the real value is. We are also quite flexible and amenable on the construction side. There is design build in the industrial sector, so contractors will have a relationship with the end user and our company will be under contract with those contractors. We differentiate from other architectural firms by playing as a team with those contractors to knock out any challenges that arise.
What are the overarching trends in the work of O’Brien Architects in North Texas?
Our architecture in Dallas has traditionally been bland. We have not been known as cutting edge. People are starting to get a little bit more aspirational with their designs and more outside architects are coming in to work. For instance, the Dallas Museum of Art just had probably one of the largest RFPs for a revamp and the winner was a Spanish architect. A lot of that remodeling has to do with technology, screens and making the place interactive.
Our brand is also super important, and it is in every nook and cranny at every stage of a project. There must be an overarching design thesis as well as a hierarchy of experiences. The integration of discovery and delight within a project is a must, so there is constant competition to make projects more interactive. Additionally, when you understand what the community wants and needs, you can authentically respond to that. In short, we are always having to push ourselves, be more creative and understand what works and what does not work.
What is the strategy of O’Brien Architects to navigate the impacts of a macroeconomic environment shaped by shifting interest rates, inflation, and cap rates?
It is a good time to sharpen our swords. We know that in 2025 the deals for large scale, mixed-use projects are going to kick back off so we need to improve our processes, strengthen our relationships, and build into the future. Even when higher profile work comes back, we must keep focused on our long-term growth sectors. We are looking to penetrate deeper into the medical space. Additionally, we are seeing Samsung and Tesla doing new things in Austin, so there is plenty of activity in that market which has caused build-to-suit manufacturing facilities to ramp up. We have many opportunities right now but will always stay focused on building and maintaining meaningful relationships. That has never steered us wrong.
Our firm got the Best Place to Work recognition for two years in a row. We focus hard on the people to make sure that we are transparent, but also have clarity about where we are going. There is fear and trepidation, but we have stepped into a role where we do an accelerated, deep mentorship and check-in program. In these sessions, we listen, digest, and discern what is important and flip that into actionable items. We focus on growing our next layer of people to prepare for the future.
As far as working with our clients, particularly those in the multifamily sector, we ask how they are doing and how the project is going. The biggest thing driving growth is end users. For instance, we are working on a huge Town Center in Prosper, Texas where there is lots of growth and a need for restaurant, retail, and entertainment. This great demand almost forces developers to develop. In addition, the surge of multifamily projects that are coming online have created additional need for ancillary uses such as restaurant, retail, distribution, as well as self-storage.
What is your outlook for O’Brien Architects and the overall North Texas landscape?
I see explosive growth in the next two to three years. I do not think this area will stop for long. There are so many people who gained valuable experience through the last boom and that experience will prevent them from making uneducated or aggressive mistakes. We are going to see healthier growth. The cities, developers, and architects seem more aligned about what is realistic for a development to succeed. Not every market is truly urban. The big thing I’m excited about is more attention to sustainability and the environment. There were too many 108 degree days this summer. Something must give. In terms of landscape, people are placing more value on being connected to nature. I am a big proponent of this on all my projects.
I want to take the firm in a more sustainable direction. We want to look back at what we have created and take pride in leaving the earth and the built environment in a better place than it was. As some clients bring the projects that my father built for us to do an adaptive reuse, I ask myself whether the projects we are doing today will need to be reused, so we need to consider some big questions.
Our vision for the future is focusing on community-based projects and sparking relationships. That involves brand, art, great planning, and gently pushing clients toward new things. It all goes back to having authentic dialogue with clients and building a trust that reflects on the community. That authenticity separates us and, as we move forward, those meaningful projects with clients will lead us to even more impactful work, which will improve people’s lives.
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