Elan Memorial West is located near Washington Avenue and memorial park, one of the largest and busiest employment centers in Texas. This luxurious and massive multi-family project boasted spacious floor plans and state-of-the-art amenities.
The Memorial West, now called the Elan Memorial West, is an 11-story building that incorporates 154,405 sq. ft. of tile, 300,120 sq. ft. of engineered wood, and 6,046 sq. yds. of carpet throughout 315 different units.
The limited space and vigorous schedule presented many challenges that ultimately tested the determination and fortitude of our team. The tight construction boundaries forced our team to drop off tools in the garage and then find parking spots that were usually blocks away. In addition to limited space, there was not a designated area to load or off-load our material. In order to get material inside the construction area, our workers took a certified flaggers course so we could off-load delivery trucks from the main road. Once the material was offloaded, we would schedule the shared buck-hoist, weeks in advance, to transport the material to the correct floor.
The site conditions were definitely challenging, more so than usual, but we faced even bigger challenges when our product selections were changed mid-way through the project. In order to accommodate the general contractor, owner, and architect we removed and replaced over 20,000 sf of wall tile. As you can suspect, the demolition was beyond challenging because we were working around finish areas. In order to protect these finishes, we used carpet backed plywood to shield debris from cabinets, walls, countertops, shower pans, and more.
We are incredibly proud how our team overcame so many obstacles while maintaining the project budget, timeline, and quality of work.
Nancy Thiel, founder and principal of Thiel Architecture + Design, is a licensed architect and an interior designer. With 40+ years’ experience working with luminaries in the architecture world, including Michael Graves, Robert A.M. Stern, and Rockwell Group, where she served as a studio leader, Thiel’s extensive portfolio includes single-family homes and multi-story residences, hotels, restaurants, retail, fitness clubs, offices, theaters, schools and shopping centers. She is a member of the AIA, holds NCARB certification and is a LEED accredited professional. Prior to her career in architecture, Thiel was a dancer and choreographer.
Thiel Architecture + Design is an award-winning multi-disciplinary architecture, interior design, planning, and product design firm with offices in CT and NY. The firm’s work focuses on high-end residential design as well as hospitality, contract, and retail projects. Thiel Architecture + Design’s work has been featured in Interior Design, Architype, New York and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, Connecticut Magazine, Archello, and Fast Company magazines. In 2022, the firm received a Connecticut AIA Excellence award for Interior Architecture. Thiel earned a BA from Penn State University and her Master of Architecture degree from Syracuse University.
