History of RDLR
RDLR was founded in 1982 by Rey de la Reza and is recognized throughout Texas as a community-driven architectural firm. They provide design excellence and outstanding project management services in the Houston area. Over the past 40 years, RDLR has contributed to some of Houston’s most iconic public spaces, including bridges over US59, Cotswold streetscapes in Downtown, and streetscapes in Houston’s east end. Their commitment to quality design has left a lasting impact on the city’s infrastructure and community spaces.
RDLR’s design philosophy has evolved over the years. Initially, they focused on creating functional and aesthetically pleasing structures. However, as urban planning and sustainability gained prominence, RDLR shifted toward more community-centric designs. They now prioritize inclusivity, green spaces, and pedestrian-friendly environments. Their commitment to enhancing the urban fabric remains steadfast, but with a greater emphasis on social impact and environmental consciousness. They specialize in design excellence and project management services, particularly in transit, urban design, education, civic, community, housing, aviation, and operations and maintenance facilities.
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Company Culture at RDLR
RDLR Architects’ community-driven approach involves actively engaging with the communities they serve. They collaborate closely with stakeholders, including residents, local organizations, and public agencies, to understand their unique needs, aspirations, and challenges. By integrating community input into their designs, they create spaces that reflect the cultural context, promote inclusivity, and enhance quality of life. Whether it’s designing transit hubs, educational facilities, or civic spaces, RDLR Architects prioritize community well-being and sustainable solutions.
Our Principals are hands-on and are actively engaged in our projects from inception through completion. We believe in an interactive and collaborative design process where all team members, under the guidance of Principal leadership, provide perspectives from which to draw and position our creative problem solving.
RDLR Architects fosters a collaborative and innovative culture. Their team thrives on creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a passion for design. They value diversity, sustainability, and community engagement, aiming to create architectural solutions that resonate with local contexts while pushing boundaries. They encourage cross-disciplinary interactions, brainstorming sessions, and exposure to diverse perspectives. Additionally, they organize design challenges, workshops, and site visits to inspire fresh ideas.
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Architect-US is proud to work in close contact with RDLR and to be able to ensure the firm gets to know and work with amazing young architects like Federica Ferremi and Gabriele Perotto, whom we helped process and sponsor their J1 Visa as well as find a job in the US through our Job+J1 Visa Program!
Federica Ferremi
Federica is an Italian architect who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Construction from Politecnico di Milano. During her studying, she also participated in an International Exchange Program at UWA in Australia. Federica’s previous work experience includes working as an architect at GLA – Genius Loci Architettura (Milan, Italy), STUDIOROCCHIARCHITETTURA (Milan, Italy), and DDR Studio (Milan, Italy).
Gabriele Perotto
Gabriele is an Italian architect who received his Master’s Degree in Architecture Heritage Preservation
And Enhancement from Politecnico di Torino. His previous work experience includes working at Studio BEAR Architetti Associati (Torino, Italy), Baumschlager Eberle Architekten (Hanoi, Vietnam), and Studio LAB IDeAS (Torino, Italy). Gabriele is also the Co-founder of Planisat, which is an engineering and architecture start-up based on satellite super resolution images.
RDLR’s Selected Projects
METRO Texas Medical Center
The TMC Transit Facility, a crucial hub in METRO’s multimodal General Mobility Plan, with 16 bus slots spread across two platforms. This facility connects the Main Street Light Rail Corridor to local bus routes, walk and bike paths, and Park & Ride facilities located in the southwest and southeast regions of Houston. The Texas Medical Center District’s recently developed urbanity, together with movement in transit, light, technology, and feeling of place, are all fundamental to the facility’s image.
The main design feature, which is primarily a pavilion structure, is the flowing roof forms, which depict movement figuratively in the dynamic sense as seen from the perspective of a car or train ride. During the day, diffused natural sunlight and protection are provided by the translucent fabric roof.
During nighttime, the pavilion’s sculptured shape is accentuated by up lighting on the roof. The roof evolved into an essential component and was visually developed as the fifth building elevation, serving as an urban shape that is visible from both the street and the surrounding higher buildings.
In order to connect transferring passengers to the nearby platforms, the Light Rail station, and the M.D. Anderson campus, a pedestrian bridge was developed as an expressive urban form. Passengers on the transit system may see the roof planes of the passenger shelters below from bridge level. As the stair enclosure forms spread from the waves of the roof in the middle bays and curve up to the sky bridge level, transit users will have a lyrical sense of movement through the vertical circulation systems. In a similar vein, passengers’ experiences ascending are improved by the completely transparent elevators.
Photos by RDLR
Houston Food Bank
In an effort to address the escalating hunger crisis and triple its distribution capacity, the Houston Food Bank (HFB) rebuilt a dilapidated, thirty-year-old «tilt-up» warehouse. The 308,000 square foot structure has been remodeled to accommodate dry and chilled warehouses, staff offices, volunteer community rooms and café, social service offices, facilities for the corrections department, a food pantry, and conference spaces.
The facility was built with the least amount of energy and maintenance possible in order to maximize resources. High performance building envelope, lighting, and mechanical systems that surpass ASHRAE 90.1 are examples of sustainable features. Low water consumption fixtures, daylight harvesting, low VOC and formaldehyde free materials, reclaimed architectural elements, high recycle content flooring, ceiling, and finish materials are also examples.
Photos by RDLR
COH Public Works & Engineering NE Quadrant Facility
Houston Public Works is the largest and most diverse public works company in the nation. Streets, drainage, water production and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, building permits, and construction regulations fall within the purview of this department. The more than 4,000 committed public employees, who hold accreditation from the American Public Works Association, collaborate to provide a solid foundation for Houston’s prosperity.
In collaboration with the City of Houston, RDLR Architects designed a 33,500-square-foot Public Works and Engineering (PWE) facility. The facility will serve as a staging area for PWE utility workers in the northeast quadrant and house administrative and support services for the PWE divisions that handle water, wastewater, and restoration.
The architectural plan was created to facilitate a collaborative work environment, and the new building is intended to improve adjacencies and circulation between the divisions. There will be a variety of venues for workers to interact with one another: from official meetings in the auditorium and other conference rooms to casual get-togethers in the indoor and outdoor break areas.
In the site plan, site safety was crucial. The building was positioned to allow for separate roads that will isolate staff vehicles from municipal vehicles since it was necessary to segregate heavy vehicle traffic from pedestrian routes and non-fleet vehicles. The design team prioritized all water and storm LEED credits since this building should serve as a model of responsible construction. In addition, taking into account the building budget and life cycle cost, RDLR has employed cost-effective LEED techniques.
Photos by RDLR
We will be posting more projects by RDLR in the upcoming weeks and months, so keep an eye out for more of their incredible work! Every Friday we will be posting a new Featured Company, so join us again next week!
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