Top 10 Architecture Companies in Texas You Should Know
Texas architecture has range. You’ll find limestone Hill Country homes that feel grown from the land, glassy towers reshaping downtown skylines, airport terminals built for millions of travelers, and restaurants where the room is as memorable as the meal.
This list isn’t a strict ranking. It’s a curated look at firms with strong Texas roots, major Texas offices, or a clear impact on how the state builds. Some are global giants. Others are boutique studios with a sharp point of view. All of them have earned attention for design quality, technical skill, and the ability to turn a client’s goals into real places people actually enjoy using.
If you’re comparing the Top 10 Architecture Companies in Texas, start here.
A quick snapshot of the firms
Firm | Texas strength | Best known for |
Lake Flato Architects | San Antonio roots, statewide influence | Climate-aware design, homes, civic buildings, hospitality |
HKS | Dallas headquarters, global reach | Sports, healthcare, hospitality, large-scale projects |
Corgan | Dallas headquarters, national practice | Aviation, education, commercial interiors, data centers |
Gensler | Major Texas studios | Workplace, mixed-use, airports, urban projects |
Page | Texas-born multidisciplinary firm | Healthcare, civic, higher education, engineering-led design |
Miró Rivera Architects | Austin-based design studio | Sculptural forms, cultural projects, custom homes |
Overland Partners | San Antonio-based practice | Mission-driven civic, cultural, education, and community work |
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture | Austin-based studio | Restaurants, hospitality, adaptive reuse, warm modern spaces |
BOKA Powell | Dallas-based firm | Mixed-use, hospitality, workplace, urban redevelopment |
Kirksey Architecture | Houston-based firm | Sustainable design, education, commercial, community projects |
1. Lake Flato Architects
Lake Flato Architects is one of the firms people often think of first when they talk about Texas design. Based in San Antonio, the studio has built its reputation on architecture that feels closely tied to climate, site, and material. Their work often uses shaded porches, courtyards, natural ventilation, stone, wood, metal, and careful framing of views.
The style is modern, but it rarely feels cold. A Lake Flato project usually has a relaxed confidence to it. Buildings sit low when the site calls for it. They open up to breezes. They pay attention to the way sunlight moves across a room at 4 p.m. in August, which matters a lot in Texas.
Notable work associated with the firm includes custom homes, ranch compounds, university buildings, hospitality projects, and civic spaces. The Austin Central Library, designed with Shepley Bulfinch, is one of the most widely recognized public projects connected to the firm. It’s loved for its daylight, rooftop garden, welcoming scale, and strong relationship to downtown Austin.
Reputation and awards
Lake Flato has received broad recognition from the American Institute of Architects and sustainability-focused programs. The firm is often praised for bringing environmental thinking into architecture without making the work feel overly technical or preachy.
What clients tend to value
Clients often point to the firm’s ability to listen closely to the land and the daily life of a project. Homeowners value the warmth and livability. Public clients value the way the buildings invite people in rather than feel like monuments.
2. HKS
HKS is a Texas heavyweight. Headquartered in Dallas, the firm works across the country and around the world, but its Texas presence remains central to its identity. If you’ve followed major sports venues, healthcare campuses, hotels, or complex commercial projects, you’ve probably seen HKS work even if you didn’t know the name.
The firm’s design style shifts by project type. That’s part of its strength. A stadium needs a different kind of intelligence than a children’s hospital. A luxury hotel asks for a different atmosphere than a research facility. HKS has built its reputation on handling big, complicated buildings where design, engineering, operations, and brand experience all have to fit together.
Major sports and entertainment venues are a big part of the firm’s public profile. HKS has also done extensive work in healthcare, including hospitals and specialty care spaces where patient comfort and staff efficiency both matter.
Reputation and awards
HKS has received design and industry recognition across several sectors, including sports, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial design. Its scale gives it access to large commissions, but the firm’s best work still comes down to clear planning and a strong sense of user experience.
What clients tend to value
Clients usually come to HKS when the stakes are high. They value the firm’s depth, its technical bench, and its experience with projects that involve many decision-makers, strict schedules, and long-term operational needs.
3. Corgan
Corgan, headquartered in Dallas, has become one of the most respected firms in Texas for aviation, education, commercial interiors, data centers, and large-scale planning. The firm has a practical streak, but that doesn’t mean its work is plain. Corgan tends to focus on clarity, movement, and the real experience of people using a place.
Aviation is one of the firm’s strongest calling cards. Airport design is tricky because architecture has to support security, queuing, wayfinding, retail, baggage, maintenance, comfort, and constant change. Corgan has earned a strong reputation in this area, including work tied to major airport environments in Texas and beyond.
The firm also has a strong record in education. School and university projects need to work hard for students, teachers, administrators, and communities. Corgan often brings a clean, organized design approach to these spaces.
Reputation and awards
Corgan has received industry recognition for aviation, workplace, interiors, and education projects. The firm is also known for research-driven design, especially around how people behave and move through complex buildings.
What clients tend to value
Clients often appreciate Corgan’s calm, organized process. For airports, schools, and technical facilities, that matters. The design has to look good, but it also has to work every single day.
4. Gensler
Gensler is a global firm, but its Texas studios have played a major role in shaping offices, mixed-use districts, retail environments, airports, and urban projects across the state. With offices in cities such as Dallas, Austin, and Houston, Gensler brings a large-firm reach with strong local knowledge.
The firm’s style can’t be pinned to one look. Instead, Gensler is known for design systems that connect architecture, interiors, planning, and user experience. In Texas, that often means helping companies rethink headquarters, helping developers shape mixed-use places, or improving public-facing environments where flow and identity matter.
Gensler’s Texas work tends to feel polished and market-aware. The firm understands how space supports culture, leasing, hospitality, and long-term value. That makes it a common choice for commercial clients who want smart design without losing sight of real-world performance.
Reputation and awards
Gensler is consistently recognized as one of the largest and most influential architecture and design firms in the world. Its projects have received many design awards across workplace, hospitality, retail, and urban design categories.
What clients tend to value
Clients often look to Gensler for breadth. The firm can connect big-picture planning with interior details, signage, furniture, and the feel of the finished place. That full-scope thinking is useful when a project has many moving parts.
5. Page
Page is a Texas-founded multidisciplinary firm with a long history and major offices in the state. The firm combines architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and consulting, which makes it a strong fit for complex institutional and public projects.
You’ll often see Page associated with healthcare, civic, academic, research, and infrastructure-related work. Those project types need more than a pretty rendering. They need buildings that meet demanding codes, serve large numbers of people, support maintenance teams, and adapt over time.
Design-wise, Page often favors clean forms, strong planning, and practical elegance. The firm’s projects may not always shout for attention, but they tend to be carefully organized and durable. That’s a real contribution in Texas, where fast-growth cities need public and institutional buildings that can keep up.
Reputation and awards
Page has earned recognition for architecture, engineering, sustainability, and interior design. Its long history in Texas adds to its credibility, especially with clients who need an experienced hand on larger public or institutional projects.
What clients tend to value
Clients appreciate Page for technical confidence and coordination. When architecture and engineering have to be tightly aligned from the beginning, a multidisciplinary firm can save a lot of friction.
6. Miró Rivera Architects
Miró Rivera Architects, based in Austin, brings a more sculptural and expressive voice to this list. The firm’s work often feels artful, precise, and memorable. It’s the kind of architecture that can turn a small structure into a landmark because the shape, material, and detail are so carefully handled.
The Circuit of The Americas Observation Tower is one of the firm’s best-known projects. Its bold red steel structure has become a recognizable part of Austin’s Formula 1 venue. The firm has also designed custom homes, cultural spaces, installations, and small public projects that show a strong interest in craft and form.
Miró Rivera’s work often balances drama with discipline. A project might have a striking silhouette or a surprising detail, but it usually feels controlled rather than flashy.
Reputation and awards
The firm has received design recognition from AIA chapters and architecture publications. Its reputation rests on thoughtful modern design, careful detailing, and a willingness to make architecture that people remember.
What clients tend to value
Clients who hire Miró Rivera often want something distinct. They’re looking for architecture with personality, not a default solution. The firm is especially appealing for clients who care about form, material, and the emotional impact of a space.
7. Overland Partners
Overland Partners, based in San Antonio, is known for architecture with a strong sense of purpose. The firm often works on civic, cultural, educational, and community-focused projects, and it brings a thoughtful, human-centered approach to each one.
Overland’s design style tends to be warm, grounded, and context-aware. The firm pays close attention to place, climate, materials, and the people a building serves. That approach fits Texas well, especially in communities where architecture has to bridge history, growth, and changing public needs.
The firm’s portfolio includes museums, schools, civic projects, and community initiatives. Many of these projects are less about making a loud visual statement and more about creating places that feel meaningful over time.
Reputation and awards
Overland Partners has earned design awards and professional recognition for work that blends design quality with social and environmental responsibility. The firm is often respected for asking bigger questions about who a building serves and how it can improve daily life.
What clients tend to value
Clients often praise purpose-driven firms like Overland for patience, care, and long-range thinking. That can be especially valuable for nonprofit, civic, and education clients, where community trust matters as much as the final form.
8. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has become a favorite in Austin and beyond for hospitality, restaurant, retail, residential, and adaptive reuse projects. If you’ve spent time in Austin’s food and design scene, there’s a good chance you’ve walked into a space touched by this studio’s influence.
The firm’s work often feels warm, layered, and social. You’ll see natural materials, relaxed indoor-outdoor connections, soft lighting, strong furniture choices, and a clear sense of atmosphere. The design is modern, but it knows how to make people comfortable.
Projects associated with the studio include restaurants, hotels, mixed-use spaces, private homes, and creative renovations. The office is especially good at giving older buildings new life without scrubbing away all their character.
Reputation and awards
Michael Hsu Office of Architecture has received awards from design groups and frequent coverage in architecture, hospitality, and lifestyle publications. Its reputation is closely tied to Austin’s growth as a design-forward city.
What clients tend to value
Clients often value the firm’s feel for experience. A restaurant can have a great menu and still fall flat if the space doesn’t work. This studio understands arrival, seating, light, acoustics, texture, and the little moments that make people want to stay.
9. BOKA Powell
BOKA Powell, based in Dallas, has a strong presence in commercial, hospitality, mixed-use, workplace, and urban redevelopment projects. The firm works often in places where architecture has to support growth, leasing, guest experience, and long-term use.
Design-wise, BOKA Powell is polished and pragmatic. Its projects often involve dense urban sites, renovations, hotels, offices, and mixed-use developments where the building has to work from many angles. Street presence matters. Parking and access matter. The lobby matters. The guest room or tenant floorplate matters.
The firm has been connected to major Dallas-area hospitality, office, and redevelopment work. It’s especially relevant in a city where older buildings and new development often sit side by side.
Reputation and awards
BOKA Powell has received regional design recognition and has built strong trust among commercial developers, hospitality groups, and property owners. Its reputation is tied to making projects both attractive and financially realistic.
What clients tend to value
Clients often appreciate that the firm understands the business side of architecture. Good design still has to meet budgets, schedules, codes, and market expectations. BOKA Powell tends to be comfortable in that space.
10. Kirksey Architecture
Kirksey Architecture, based in Houston, has earned a strong reputation for sustainable design, education projects, commercial buildings, community spaces, and urban work. The firm has long been associated with environmentally aware architecture in Texas, especially in a hot, humid city where energy use and comfort are serious design challenges.
Kirksey’s work often feels practical, bright, and people-focused. The firm has experience with schools, offices, community buildings, and corporate campuses, and it frequently brings sustainability consulting into the design process. That combination makes it valuable for clients who want a building that performs well, not just one that looks finished on opening day.
In Houston, where flooding, heat, transportation, and growth all affect design decisions, Kirksey’s focus on performance carries real weight.
Reputation and awards
Kirksey has received recognition from regional architecture groups and green building organizations. The firm is often respected for making sustainability part of the design conversation early rather than treating it as an add-on.
What clients tend to value
Clients often value Kirksey’s steady approach and its understanding of Houston’s climate, codes, and development patterns. The firm can handle practical demands while still creating spaces that feel welcoming and current.
What makes Texas architecture firms stand out
Texas architects work with a rare mix of conditions. The state has dense downtowns, fast-growing suburbs, coastal risk, desert heat, Hill Country terrain, historic neighborhoods, major universities, huge airports, and a strong private development market. A good Texas firm has to understand all of that.
The best firms on this list tend to share a few traits:
They design for heat and light Shade, orientation, glazing, courtyards, and material selection matter here.
They balance growth with identity Texas cities are changing fast, but people still want places that feel rooted.
They handle complexity well Hospitals, airports, campuses, and mixed-use districts involve many layers of decision-making.
They care about experience The strongest projects feel good to use, not just good to photograph.
They know materials Stone, brick, timber, steel, concrete, glass, and landscape all play different roles across the state.
How to choose the right Texas architecture company
A famous name helps, but fit matters more. The best firm for a boutique hotel may not be the best firm for a medical campus. The best firm for a Hill Country home may not be the right choice for an airport terminal.
Before reaching out, get clear on a few things:
Project type and size
Location and site conditions
Budget range
Timeline
Approval process
Sustainability goals
Desired level of design expression
Need for interiors, engineering, or planning services
Then look at the firm’s past projects. Don’t just ask whether the work looks good. Ask whether those projects had problems similar to yours. A beautiful portfolio matters, but relevant experience can make the process much smoother.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best architecture firm in Texas?
There isn’t one best firm for every project. Lake Flato is a standout for site-sensitive design, HKS is strong for large complex buildings, Corgan is excellent in aviation and education, and Michael Hsu’s studio shines in hospitality and adaptive reuse.
Are large architecture firms better than smaller studios?
Not always. Large firms usually bring more resources and specialized teams. Smaller studios may offer closer principal involvement and a more distinct design voice. The right choice depends on project scale, complexity, and how customized you want the process to feel.
How much does it cost to hire an architecture firm in Texas?
Fees vary widely by project type, size, scope, and service level. A custom home, restaurant renovation, school, airport, and hospital all have very different fee structures. Most firms will ask about scope and budget before discussing a proposal.
What should I ask during the first call with an architect?
Ask about relevant experience, process, timeline, team structure, consultant coordination, sustainability approach, and how they handle budget changes. It also helps to ask who will actually work on your project day to day.
Do Texas architecture firms handle interior design too?
Many do. Firms such as Gensler, Corgan, Page, Kirksey, BOKA Powell, and Michael Hsu Office of Architecture often work across architecture and interiors. For hospitality, workplace, and commercial projects, that can create a more cohesive result.
The takeaway
Texas has no shortage of architectural talent, but these 10 firms stand out because they’ve helped shape how the state lives, works, learns, travels, and gathers. Some bring national scale. Some bring local craft. Some are best for complex institutions, while others are ideal for homes, restaurants, hotels, or cultural spaces.
The smartest move is to match the firm to the project. Look beyond name recognition and study how each company thinks, what they’ve built, and how their work feels in real life. That’s where the right choice usually becomes clear.
