In 2005, five guys— Yen Ong, Hoang Dang, Scott Lowe, Mike Voegtle, Jacob Tindall—started an architecture firm with an aim to optimize project outcomes through a collaborative working of the best design minds. They named their firm 5G Studio Collaborative for the five guys who started together, and as Ong, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, explains, they “selected the word ‘Collaborative’ as we felt it was important to establish a working platform whereby the project team members feel that their ideas are welcomed as well as truly valued.”
5G Studio Collaborative aims to disrupt local Dallas architectural scene
The metal façade on the AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria strengthens the sculptural expression of the framework of windows and encloses a future outdoor coffee bar that will interface with the new pedestrian district of Dallas Midtown. {PHOTO: ADAM MØRK}
The firm began in a small, 400-square-foot lease space on top of a burger joint in Dallas. “We felt at the time that there was a need for a group of designers who were willing to disrupt the Dallas architectural scene,” says Ong. “An opportunity to design a hospital came about through a personal friend of ours, and we seized on the chance to establish the firm.”
A Leader in Design
From its humble beginnings, the firm is now one of Dallas’ leading voices in architectural design. Having completed more than $6 billion in building construction value, 5G Studio Collaborative has set itself apart as a leader in design. “We’ve been trying to change the mindset of the Dallas architectural scene, and we’ve been quite successful,” Ong shares. “We are now a global award-winning design firm, and we have advanced the discussions of architecture to be seen as a leader in design within the community.”
The full-service design firm has two offices, in Dallas and Miami with 70 employees and growing. While their portfolio began with a number of religious projects, over the years they have started concentrating more on hospitality as that sector grew for the firm. They also do multifamily, commercial office and industrial projects.
The custom-fabricated metal panel system at Virgin Hotels Dallas provides a seductive and light enclosure around the hotel’s corner bar and its exterior patio. {PHOTO: ROBERT TSAI}
Design Approach
With every project the firm does, Ong notes they build their skills, knowledge and ability to work with contractors and fabricators. “Every project is approached from ground zero. We don’t engage in a project with a preconceived of notion of what we want it to be. It is through conversation with the client, and from there we explore what that means for the project.”
Since a lot of the firm’s work involves multifamily clients or pre-established hotel brands, Ong says they have the privilege of always considering a client’s brand positioning and the community they are entering. “Our interest has always been in trying to research and explore the area, and fit that in with the brand position, and try to come up with something that is fresh and new.”
“Our philosophical approach is really powered more by curiosity than anything else,” he adds. “We continue to research and we’re very aware of what is going on in the world in terms of architecture. What we’re interested in is not necessarily to contribute to that particular concept that already exists in the world, but to try and help advance the conversation globally by considering what has left unexplored.”
The zinc panels on Legacy ER at Allen, Texas, are used as roof and wall cladding as well as the building light fixtures where they are perforated. {PHOTO: MICHAEL MORAN}
Versatile Metal
Metal wall and roof systems are featured in many of the firm’s designs. And while the firm doesn’t do many pre-engineered metal building projects, they designed a lot of churches over the first 10 years of the firm. “We have specified a few pre-engineered building systems,” Ong says. “On those projects, we aim to expose as much of the building system as we can, to showcase that even pre-engineered metal building systems are quite beautiful. The utilitarian expression of them is what makes them beautiful.”
“Metal building products are so robust,” Ong continues, “and, honestly speaking, one of the easiest materials to work with to achieve most of our architectural ideas.” To bring out the best of metal building products in terms of beauty and aesthetics, Ong says the firm has found hospitality projects to be the most accommodating.
The firm’s AC Hotel Dallas by the Galleria won an American Architecture Award, and features a lightweight metal composite metal façade that strengthens the sculptural expression of the window framework. The lattice design drapes across the transparent lobby and lounge, encouraging interaction with the architecture.
Ong is a big fan of combining insulated metal panels with single-skin metal panel systems because it provides the best of both worlds. At Virgin Hotels Dallas, the firm used aluminum composite material panels for the guest room towers, where the façade is primarily solid, and single-skin metal panels to clad the garage, where Ong says the folding of the panels become critical to the design “With single-skin systems you can start to form more easily into sculptural effect and into perforations and such, so combining the two has been very productive for us in terms of achieving an extraordinary aesthetic.”
The firm’s designs are driven by what the project’s architectural concept is. “Most of our ideas tend to be easiest realized with metal building products because it’s just so versatile,” he adds. This is shown on the Legacy ER stand-alone emergency room in Allen, Texas, where zinc standing seam metal panels are used as both roof and wall cladding, and perforated panels provide shading and privacy where needed.
Virgin Hotels Dallas {PHOTO: ROBERT TSAI}
Community Challenges
Around North Texas, Ong notes that there are some communities that prefer masonry or cementitious products, which has to be taken into consideration. “The way that we approach it is through conversations with the city officials and try to convince them of what we are trying to do, what the advantages are, and how its reflective and complementary to their community.”
Ong feels the potential for metal architectural products are limitless, and that the architectural community has not exhausted the expressive potential of metal in terms of its formability and its finishes. “There is a lot more for us to explore,” he says, “and it can contribute to a very rich urban environment because of what it allows and enables a designer to do on any given project at a price point that is very reasonable. That is one of our successes. We push the language of metal aesthetic in our firm too and have been quite successful at that.”