BRAVE / ARCHITECTURE is pleased to announce the addition of two talented individuals, Bryant Alcantara and Andrés Felipe Escobar. Bryant will be helping the team with HISD and City of Houston projects, while Andrés has been recruited to implement his skills on the YMCA projects. We would like to extend a warm welcome to both individuals.


BRYANT ALCANTARA
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Bryant has lived in Houston since 1996. He graduated with honors from the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture in 2004. While in school he traveled to Mexico to participate in a Historic Preservation study abroad program that focused on rehabilitated buildings and the in-depth measurement and documentation of settlement structures from 16th century. Bryant also traveled throughout Europe during his studies and researching urban development.

Bryant’s 2003 architectural entry into The Interfaith Sacred Space International Design Competition was selected as one of four winning entries and was one of the two winning entries that came from student projects. He presented the project, titled Inner City Interfaith Chapel, at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain in July 2004.

In 2005 Bryant participated as a team captain in the 9th Annual CANstruction Houston Design-Build Competition organized by the Society of Design Administration and the AIA Houston Chapter. Benefiting the Houston Food bank, he found the competition a wonderful event and has participated ever since.
Outside of the office you will find Bryant under the hood of a car. An auto enthusiast, Bryant likes to take on small car modification and maintenance projects. He has participated in local and regional car shows, and occasionally drives at weekend road course track events. Bryant has coordinated events with a Houston car club and has put seat time in at the Texas World Speedway in College Station and MSR Houston. Mixing his architecture and automotive interests, he spent time visiting the Porsche Factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany; the Ferrari Factory in Modena, Italy; and the Lamborghini Factory and Museum in Sant’Agata, Italy.

ANDRES FELIPE ESCOBAR
Andrés Felipe Escobar graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture from the College of Architecture & Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. During his academic years, he had the opportunity to travel abroad, where he studied in France at the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris-Val de Seine, as well as in Mexico where he participated in the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla “La Mora Urban Design Charrette”. Recently, he participated in an urban planning workshop organized by the Council for European Urbanism (C.E.U) to study, document and propose a new vision for the redevelopment of Havana’s Harbor in Cuba.

Throughout his professional career, Andres Felipe has been involved in the design and construction of large-scale residential and hospitality projects such as The Venetian Hotel in Macao, China. On this project he spearheaded the successful schematic design and coordination of the 39-story hotel tower. He also spent three years as part of the design, development and construction team on The W Hotel & Residences Hollywood.

Currently, he is co-authoring research paper entitled “Engulfed by Industry: Rethinking the Residential-Industrial Interface.” This winning Rice Design Alliance Research Grant proposal to study and document the past, present and future urban impact of Industry on Houston neighborhoods will be completed in the Spring of 2010.