五人设计工作室的白手起家之路

文/克里斯塔·南丁格尔

2005年5月，斯科特·罗威和四名合伙人（其中大部分曾效力于贝克集团）在达拉斯成立了一家建筑公司——五人设计工作室。五名合伙人（即5G）一直寻求更多的设计自由。尽管他们已经获得了晋升和加薪，也规划了收入丰厚的职业生涯，但是当圣安东尼奥市的一家专科医院要求他们完成一个价值1000～1200万美元的项目时，这些年轻人看到了自己的机会。“我们不应该离职，”罗威表示，“但我们确实离职了。”

一个月之后，罗威坐在办公室外的地上接了一个电话，通知他得克萨斯州已经暂停开设该所专科医院。他们的项目被搁置——而且可能被无限期搁置。罗威想道：“我该怎么告诉我的四个合伙人？我们刚刚辞职，而这个项目又黄了？”他走进办公室，并宣布了项目搁置的消息。“恐慌之余，我们团结一致并且坚信“我们能够渡过难关”。

45天之后，暂停令解除，公司得以继续设计医院。这一个半月是一个漫长的等待，大家都用光了自己的积蓄和401（k）（企业年金）。

七年之后，公司不仅活了下来，而且发展得很好。公司设计的项目包括市中心的DRG Concept餐厅（Wild Salsa、Dallas Chop House、Dallas Fish Market、Chop House Burger）、Omni达拉斯会议中心酒店以及最近竣工的达拉斯南区NYLO酒店。并收购了另外一家公司，目前设有两个国际办事处，其中一处位于亚特兰大。公司处于盈利状态。

目前公司共有30名员工，但是“5G”还剩4名合伙人，其中2名创始合伙人中途退出，随后又加入一名新的合伙人。罗威表示，在他任职期间，他学到的一些最重要的经验来自早期。他还说：“你不是靠自己一个人的能力取得成功，而是依靠那些自己遇到的、渴望见证自己成功的人。”

一开始，我们拜访了许多公司，其中包括西南马修斯公司（Matthews Southwest）的雅克·马修斯（Jack Matthews）。

西南马修斯公司是达拉斯的一家开发商，因其对达拉斯南区的振兴贡献而在当地小有名气。马修斯表示，他非常能够理解5G的创业故事。在职业生涯的早期，他曾赢得一机场私营化项目招标，但是该项目由于政府调整而被迫取消。

之后，马修斯为达拉斯南区的Omni项目和NYLO项目选择了这家建筑公司（5G）。而且他表示非常欣赏罗威和5G的自强不息精神。他说：“如果你能拥有一群不自负却聪明的团队成员，你就能完成很多事情。”

In May of 2005,five friends,most of whom formerly worked for The Beck Group,launched the Dallas-based architecture firm 5G Studio Collaborative.The five guys (thus,5G) had been seeking more design freedom.So,although they had received promotions and raises and had lucrative careers mapped out,the young men saw their opportunity when a specialty hospital in San Antonio asked them to do a $10 million to $12 million project.“It made no sense for us to leave,” one of the co-founder Lowe says.“But we did.”

A month later,Lowe was sitting on the floor outside his office.He had just taken a call informing him that the State of Texas had placed a moratorium on specialty hospitals.Their job was put on hold—possibly indefinitely.Lowe thought,“Man,how in the world am I going to tell my four partners that we just left our jobs,and this job died?” He walked in and broke the news.“After we all panicked,we got ourselves together and said,‘We can do this.’ ”

The moratorium was lifted 45 days later,and the firm was able to design the hospital.But it was a long month-and-a-half,in which the partners worked their way through their savings and their 401(k)s.

Seventeen years later,the group is not only surviving,but thriving.It has designed Virgin Hotels Dallas,AC Hotel Dallas by Galeria and Omni Dallas Hotel,Legacy ER at Allen,and Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards.It has acquired another firm,and now has two international offices and one in Atlanta.And the company’s in the black.

The firm now has more than 70 employees,but the “5Gs” are now four,with two of the original partners leaving and a new one joining.Lowe says some of the most important lessons he learned during his tenure came early on.“You succeed not on your own merits,but you succeed on the people that you come across who desire and want to see you do well,” he says.

In the beginning,the group knocked on a lot of doors.One of those doors belonged to Jack Matthews of Matthews Southwest,a Dallas developer known locally for his revitalization efforts on the south side of Dallas.Matthews says he understands 5G’s story well.Early in his career,he won a bid to privatize an airport,but that project got canceled because of changes made by the government.

Matthews tapped the architecture firm for his Omni and NYLO Dallas Southside projects.He says he admires Lowe’s and 5G’s non-egotistical approach.“If you can have a smart group of people with low egos,” he says,“you can get a lot done.”(D Magazine,November 2012)

SELECTED LIST OF AWARDS

2021

• AIA Dallas Built Honor Award | 1217 Main St.Dallas

• AIA Dallas Built Critic Award | 1217 Main St.Dallas

• PaperCity Dallas Design Awards Winner | Hospitality Design-Virgin Hotels Dallas

• D CEO Commercial Real Estate Awards-Excellence in Architecture and Design Winner

• Dallas Business Journal Top North Texas Architecture Firms

2020

• The American Institute of Architects AIA Awards | Winner People’s Choice-Batu Hotel

• Condé Nast Traveler,Readers' Choice Awards:Top 20 Hotels in Texas | Virgin Hotels Dallas

• Engineering News-Record Texas &Louisiana Best Projects | Award of Merit-Virgin Hotels Dallas

• Shop! Retail Design Awards | Winner Silver-Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards

• Retail Design Institute Awards | Winner Innovation in Fixturing-Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards

• Retail Design Institute Awards | Winner in Creative Expression-Forty Five Ten at Hudson Yards

• Dallas Business Journal Top North Texas Architecture Firms

2019

• American Architecture Award | Winner 2019-AC Hotels Dallas By The Galleria

• Texas Society of Architects Design Award | Winner 2019-AC Hotels Dallas By The Galleria

• Texas Society of Architects Design Award | Winner 2019-1217 Main St.Dallas

• World Luxury Hotel Awards | Winner 2019-Golden Tulip Holland Resort Batu

• Indonesia Travel &Tourism Awards | Indonesia Leading Design Hotel-Winner 2019-Golden Tulip Holland Resort

• Interior Design Magazine | Best Of Year Fashion Retail 2019 Honoree-Forty Five Ten At Hudson Yard

2018

• Architect Magazine Top 50 Firms in the World | 31st in Design

• Architects Newspaper Best of Design Awards | Winner Building Renovation-1217 Main St.Dallas

• Indonesia Travel and Tourism Awards | Indonesia Leading Design Hotel

• Indonesia Travel and Tourism Awards | Indonesia Leading New Family Resort East Java

• IIDA Design Awards-Best in town | Winner-Best in City Center-Dallas-AC Hotel

2017

• Architect Magazine Top 50 Firms in the World | 31st in Design

• Architect Magazine Top 50 Firms in the World | 29th in Business

• AIA Dallas Built Honor Award | Winnwood Residence

• Boardroom Elite Awards | Best Sustainable Texas Architecture and Design Firm

• Texas Society of Architects Design Award | Winner-Winnwood Residence

• Boardroom Elite Awards | Award for Excellence in Building Life-Cycle Cost and Management Planning

• BUILD Interior Design Award | Most Innovative Architectural Design Company,Best Texas Residential Project

2016

• Architecture Firm of the Year-Build Architecture Awards

• United Masonry Contractors Association-Golden Trowel Awards-Honorable Mention in Restoration

• Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport-Champions of Diversity Award honoree

• Dallas Business Journal’s Minority Business Leader Awards-Yen Ong,honoree

• IIDA Lavish Most Innovative Design Award winner

2015

• Contract Magazine's 36 annual Interiors Awards Winner-Healthcare category-Legacy ER-Allen

• Archdaily Building of the Year-Nominee-Legacy ER-Allen

• AIA Georgia Design Awards Winner | AIA ATL Headquarters

• Architecture Firm of the Year-Build Architecture Awards

• IIDA Lavish Most Innovative Design Award Winner

• United Masonry Contractors Association-Golden Trowel Awards-Honorable Mention in Restoration

• Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport-Champions of Diversity Award honoree

2014

• Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Awards Honoree-Healthcare category-Legacy ER-Allen

• IIDA Healthcare Interior Design Awards | Ambulatory Care Centers | Best of Category-Legacy ER-Allen

• 1st Place | Metal Architecture | Design Awards competition | Metal Roofing-Legacy ER-Allen

• Metal Construction Association Chairman's Awards Winner-Overall Excellence-Legacy ER-Allen

• AIA/AAH (American Institute of Architects’ Academy of Architecture for Health)Healthcare Design Awards Winner- Legacy ER-Allen

• American Architects | 50x50 Building of the week-Legacy ER-Allen

2013

• American Institute of Architecture-Dallas Chapter-Unbuilt Design Awards-Legacy ER-Allen

• NCTRCA MBE of the Year Award

• International Exhibition,Dallas Center For Architecture Foundation

• International Exhibition,The Story of Creative,New York Gallery

• Aurora Award,Design Competition of the Southeast Building Conference

• ICRI Project Awards Program | Award of Excellence

• D CEO’s Commercial Real Estate Awards | Most Creative Financing Deal of the Year

• D CEO’s Commercial Real Estate Awards | Finalist,Best Redevelopment or Renovation

• RHCA Pillar Award | Green Project

• The Best of Big D | Best Bar with a View

• The Story of the Creative International Exhibition (New York) | 4 pieces selected

• TEXO | First Place,Distinguished Building Award,Specialty Construction Category

• Best in Class Award,IM Awards

• Preservation Achievement Award | Preservation Dallas

• D CEO’s Commercial Real Estate Awards Finalist | Best Redevelopment or Renovation

2012

• Sand Dollar Award

• Distinguished Building Awards-TEXO Construction Association (Design-Build over $30M)

• Distinguished Building Awards-TEXO Construction Association (Electrical over$10M)

• Distinguished Building Awards-TEXO Construction Association (Mechanical over$10M)

• Distinguished Building Awards-TEXO construction Association (Exteriors all contract amounts)

• Texas Spice designated as a Two-Star Certified Green Restaurant®-Green Restaurant Association (GRA)

• Pillars Award Project of the Year-Regional Hispanic Contractors Association

• Sand Dollar,Product Design of the Year,Multi Family Homes

• Top Ten out of 4,200 International Sites,IM Awards

• 2011

• ASA-Outstanding project over $100M

• Best Public/Private Partnership-Dallas Business Journal

• Vision Award American Subcontractors Association/North Texas

• Frisco Star Community Newspaper | Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Emergency Care