METALAB is a multidisciplinary design firm and licensed architecture practice located in Houston, Texas. We work with equal facility in three distinct areas of practice: Architecture, Creative Infrastructure, and Public Art Project Management. The relationships between these genres inspire us to create in the service of elegant and unique solutions.

Metalab Architecture pursues design-forward responses to architectural commissions. We focus on programmatic, cultural, and economic opportunities in the built environment that are clever and unexpected.

We often work on old buildings or in historic contexts, in addition to ground-up construction, celebrating the common threads of quality and community in good design. We take pride in understanding how buildings go together, utilizing advanced 3D modeling and leveraging the fabrication and construction talents within the Houston area to create beautiful spaces.

We offer Creative Infrastructure as a new term for engagement of the public realm. It is our responsibility as designers to ask more of our parks, waterways, streets, bridges, and landscapes; Multifunctionality leads to engagement. Spectacle leads to value. Quality leads to sustainability. Artistry leads to community.

Since our founding in 2007, we’ve recognized that we take the greatest pride in work that is in the public realm, accessible to all. We find joy in the discovery of new ways to solve problems that are technical, structural, and material in nature, to create moments of intrigue, whimsy, and spectacle.

Metalab Public Art is the area of our practice that helps artists realize their visions. We rely on an acute control and awareness of cost, schedule, and an engineering acumen to propose solutions to the challenges that come with artistic creation. We often work directly for an artist, museum, or commissioning agency. Protection of the artist’s conceptual clarity and intention of the work is key, ensuring that their voice is translated faithfully. Our problem-solving ethos and dedication to material quality and detailing yield work that will last for generations.