Bob, Brian, Jonathan, Matt, Rebecca and Thomas rode the annual MS "Alamo Ride to the River" over the weekend. The six LF grackles so far have raised more than $4200 for MS. They are still not done fundraising as the team is at $45,000 and hopes to make $50,000. Any support is much appreciated, make donations to individual riders by clicking the link above.

Thanks to all of your generous donations and to everyone who helped out with CANstruction, Spongebob CANpants won Honorable Mention at the Can Opener this Monday night, specifically for "structural difficulty and kid's favorite."

"Ted Flato and David Lake are making their mark in Central Texas. And in turn, the region’s history, architecture, and growth has had an impact on Lake|Flato Architects—both on its downtown San Antonio studio and its work."

AIA San Antonio’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) Presents: COTE Cinema on Cinco de Mayo!

This Spring’s film, "The Greening of Southie," is a feature documentary about the construction of Boston’s first residential green building, and the skepticism of those who are building it. Providing perspectives from the entire design and construction team, the film highlights a variety of attitudes and objectives for environmentally friendly buildings.

In case you missed the first PechaKucha night in February, you can now watch all 8 presentations on YouTube! Thanks to Brantley Hightower for producing the video. Next PK night is Thursday, May 26 - mark your calendars now!

This year's Bike MS ride might be the strongest yet. The 83 riders that make up the 3rd Street Grackles raised $53,000 to fund MS research, well above the team goal of $39,000. In addition, to strong fundraising, the ride was a blast and the new kits a hit.

We'd like to invite you to join Lake | Flato and The Architecture Foundation of San Antonio this Saturday, May 1st for the first in a series of workshops that highlights how design shapes our city and its communities. We'll be exploring how San Antonio's unique culture, climate and craft have inspired such projects as Portal San Fernando, the Witte Museum, and the redevelopment of the Pearl Brewery, to build meaningful communal spaces that bring people together. The workshop will be held at the historic Pearl Brewery complex from 11 to noon at the Center for Architecture. A tour of the Pearl complex will conclude the presentation. We hope you can join us!

Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio is currently seeking weekday volunteers to help complete homes that are currently under construction. Sarah Arredondo at the local office says weekdays is when they need people the most - especially Fridays. The next weekend they will need volunteers won't be until March. A few office folks are attending a work day on Saturday, March 6. Let Jennifer know if you are interested!

The modern vernacular buildings of Lake|Flato Architects combine ingenuity and craftmanship with new technologies.  Hear our very own Mr. Flato share the firm's work and design philosophy at this year's Spotlight on Design on February 2 in Washington DC.

Spotlight on Design is an ongoing lecture series featuring architects and designers of distinction from around the world. Since its inception in 1997, the series has presented many of the world's premier design voices in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design.  Past Speakers include Pritzker Prize Laureates Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, and Rem Koolhaas; American Institute of Architects' Gold Medalists Antoine Predock, Santiago Calatrava, and Frank Gehry; and the American Society of Landscape Architects' Medal recipients Richard Haag and Joseph E. Brown.

Lake|Flato is featured in this week's Seed and Fruit blog by Kathy Epperson.  Architects David Lake and Ted Flato create smart and solid projects that embody the 'rancher values' they cherish.

One of AIA Oregon's 2009 Design Awards jurors, David Lake, FAIA, will present the work of his firm, Lake|Flato Architects, at the University of Oregon on Friday, October 9.

We outbiked, out bussed, and out Twin Sistered the competition (in our category of <1000 employees) in the annual citywide Walk and Roll Challenge. SAWS, USAA, and City of San Antonio all logged more miles overall, but they're in a different category. Overall, the entire competition saved 1.6 million miles of driving and kept over 3 tons of ground-level ozone precursors out of the air during June. Lake|Flato alone, with our 56 employees saved 3,379.64 miles.

Bob's senior position at Lake|Flato coupled with his national level activity on green issues makes him an ideal member of the small panel of experts for the mayoral debate. There will be one individual with expertise on nuclear, and one on water, with Bob handling solar, retrofitting exiting buildings, LEED level new construction, and any other topics considered part of a broad-ranging debate on energy policy.