Bio:

The great designer, Jennifer Picquet-Reyes, AIA, LEED BD+C, is a Principal and Team Leader at MAA with an expertise knowledge of and experience with historic preservation, LEED certification, adaptive reuse, design, construction schedule, document coordination and construction administration from projects all over the country. Jennifer brings a unique passion and positive energy to creating new spaces and giving life to old and underutilized buildings.

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How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?

At 12 I attended a career day which I heard an architect speak & that was it. I have never waivered in that goal. My focus on historic buildings comes from my Grandmother. She was a university museum director and inspired my passion for history.

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What do you do?

I collaborate with clients and consultants to coordinate all parts and phases of a project, from the early stages of programming, planning and SD through CDs, CA and project closeout to deliver a thorough, well designed and sustainable building.

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What excites you in the work you do?

I am always excited to walk through a project that I’ve spent years working on after it has finally come to fruition. Watching people interact in the space and seeing all of the project’s unique elements in person is something that I love.

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Who or what inspires you professionally?

I am inspired by places that have been revitalized. From a small pocket park w a unique feature or a large multi-building reshaped into something new and useful. This speaks to some of my personal goals of reusing current underutilized building.

 

What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?

Leading the historic/adaptive reuse efforts at MAA. We pride ourselves in our adaptive reuse projects across many cities/states but are especially proud of the impact we have had downtown Dallas bringing back to life more than 20 abandoned buildings

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Featured Project Name: 

1700 & 1712 Commerce

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Featured Project Location: 

Downtown Dallas, Texas

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Featured Project Completion Date: 

2018

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Role in Featured Project: 

Project Architect/Principal

 

Featured Project Description:

1700 Block of Commerce Street includes Landmark Allen Building & Mercantile Commerce Building. We converted these 2 historic office buildings into 3 hotel brands & built a ten-story parking garage. It was a complicated project which included city participation through TIF and Historic Tax abatement as well as Federal and State Historic Tax credits. Along with the City of Dallas and Dart to expand the sidewalk to include one lane of Commerce Street to make a more pedestrian friendly experience.

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Photography Credit:

Angie Garrison, Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels