Irby Hightower, FAIA, is a Founding Principal. His early experience on the East Coast offered a first-hand introduction to the rehabilitation of historic structures as mixed-use, multifamily buildings using Historic Income Tax Credits. In 2005, he was instrumental in Alamo Architect’s first low-income, tax credit-funded multifamily housing development; his current focus is on mixed-use urban projects. Strongly informed by his decades of experience in urban design, Irby approaches multifamily development as an opportunity to create exceptional communities that also contribute a memorable and welcoming public realm to the surrounding city fabric. Putting these ideals into practice, he is currently leading a significant urban infill project for Pearl developer Oxbow, the luxury residential community Southtown Aldea.
Ariel Chavela, Senior Principal, brings design vision to projects across our business sectors. As one of the team who developed the Shops at La Cantera, Ariel brings a worldly sensibility informed by architectural practice in México, in Genoa, Italy at the offices of Renzo Piano, and here in San Antonio. Ariel has lent his design skills and engineering background to projects as varied as the UTSA Science and Engineering Building, regional Neiman Marcus stores, and the San Antonio Zoo Parking Garage.
Billy Lawrence, AIA. With a background in national retail design (The Shops at La Cantera), Billy brings unique insight not just into shopping centers but also into the public realm and placemaking for a range of business spaces. For example, groundbreaking work with the Humane Society of San Antonio brought “people spaces” into the animal rescue environment, creating a new model for rescue organizations. In notable adaptive reuse cases, he has created reimagined public realms for The Rim Commons Park and for Blue Star, a warehouse arts district in downtown San Antonio. Both projects injected an elevated sense of place and added new programmable and leasable space for the owners.
Jason Hyatt, Principal, leads construction administration and quality assurance across our varied business sectors. Jason’s team leadership is key to the success of many of the firm’s largest and most complex projects for higher education and retail clients and is integral to maintaining our long-term business relationships. These include Texas State University, The University of Texas System, UT Health San Antonio, Alamo Colleges, Neiman Marcus and General Growth Properties.
Jason Mai, Senior Associate, manages quality control and construction administration for large, complex projects. His leadership adds high value to our project delivery standards through decades of field experience in shepherding building projects from vision to reality. An active participant in AIA-sponsored activities, Jason is also known among his teammates office-wide as a patient and thorough teacher, generous with his time and knowledge.
Enrique Cortazar, Associate, LEED AP BD+C, is dedicated to designing spaces that are both purposeful and enduring. He is a strong contributor to a wide range of project sectors, including K-12 educational facilities, healthcare environments, animal care facilities, and institutional buildings. Passionate about architecture that balances creativity with technical precision, Enrique believes sustainable design is both a responsibility and an opportunity to create smarter, healthier spaces for the future.
Michael Clancy is a staff designer with the multifamily housing team. He credits his late father—a salesman with a local millwork company—with shaping his appreciation for local craftsmanship and his understanding of the built environment. He brings professional dedication to creating places rooted in the greater community and grounded in an authentic response to neighborhood context. The multifamily housing team often taps Michael for his architectural expertise and his sophisticated ability to visualize design concepts.
