Annual Editorial Report 2026

State of the profession: two complementary systems power Texas architecture.

Texas architectural leadership rests on two systems. Global Texas practices — HKS (#3 US, $733M), Corgan (#4 US), PBK, MOREgroup — export scale and technical delivery. Design-led practices — Lake|Flato (AIA Gold Medal 2024, 17× COTE), Overland, Miró Rivera, alterstudio, Michael Hsu — define the state's architectural identity and climate-adaptive know-how. The 2026 watershed: Stantec's acquisition of Page closed Aug 4, 2025, ending the independence of the state's oldest practice; meanwhile El Paso's civic renaissance (Exigo, La Nube) put the Borderland on the design map. Priority for 2027: direct survey of Rio Grande Valley firms.