Parra Design Group Ltd

Parra Design Group, Ltd. is a design and development company whose mission is to improve the quality of life in the community by enhancing its aesthetic environment. Established in 1998, Parra Design is dedicated to providing the highest level of satisfaction to our customers through the design and construction of exceptional residential and commercial buildings. Camilo Parra has a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and has extensive experience in the architectural, engineering, and construction fields. Mr. Parra has designed and managed residential and construction projects in San Antonio, Houston, and Costa Rica. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is a registered architect in the State of Texas (No. 17121). IN THE BEGINNING I opened my firm with a friend from San Antonio after visiting my parents in Houston in the 90s and seeing the surge of inner city development. Suddenly townhouses were sprouting everywhere, but the designs seemed insensitive and public space was disregarded; the news media pondered what happened to design. In response, the government and building community revised the local development code to improve conditions. It was a sellers market and I decided to enter it, buying a lot in Montrose, and set out to develop my first project, Yupon Place. I wanted to be a responsible architect and better the community. The new code had not come into effect, and many developers were busy filing for development permits in order not to have to comply. Even though we didn’t have to comply, we decided to design the townhouses in accordance with the new code as we saw its virtues for the community. The new garage setbacks led us to provide a striking design in which the garages were not the prominent feture. These 2800 sq.ft. townhouses featured a new form, with a vibrant, innovative look. The 3 townhomes were the cover story in Texas Architect in May 2001. The article related how we integrated the city’s new setbacks in the design of the townhomes. The projects progressed into bigger townhouse developments, with the buildings grouped on a bigger lot with a common courtyard/driveway, starting with Las Cicadas in 2000, eight townhomes which won a 2002 AIA Houston Merit Award. Fairview Townhomes, a twin townhouse project we designed in 2001 followed and received a 2004 AIA Houston Merit Award. Both projects were located in the Montrose area of Houston.