client testimonials

"The SAS building still has the “Wow” for a lot of people. Our enrollment is at 212. I have never seen it that high. I have to tell you when it comes to designing and planning, I am sorry, but you came in Second Place. When we have schools come to the gym to play VB or BB in the afternoon and the evening, what do you think the parents notice first? They will say look how big it is. Is that the one? How old is it? Yes, you came in Second to God's design of the Big SAS Oak Tree in the Courtyard.

"On behalf of the committee I want to express our deepest appreciation and thanks for the work of your team. It has truly been a collaborative effort and the professionalism of your team and high-quality work is, in my experience, unparalleled."

"Your facility is on the leading edge of any I have seen, with the power control, electronics and the facility itself. I believe the pride shown by you and your staff will help maintain the excellence of the operation."

"Throughout the design process, JMB2 performed as a highly professional company, brought creative ideas to the table and above all collaborated well with the Local Design Team. Matt Brown told me the “2” in the name of his company indicates he is willing to work for a win – win with his clients. "

"Matt always listened to our concerns and was a consummate team player and problem solver with both school personnel & curriculum groups and with the general contractors. I know that his firm would perform in the same manner again. In addition to the architectural skills Matt brought to us, he was a true partner in the process, and because of our project success and collaborative work relationships."

"It has been my great pleasure, to work with Matt Brown and his firm JMB2 Architecture Cooperative over the last few years on a number of GCCISD projects. In fact, I have enjoyed working with him so much that my wife and I commissioned JMB2 to do our new home design on the bay in Baytown. What sets JMB2 apart from the rest is that they are truly partners with the client in the process while they bring to the table award winning experience, a budget-minded/efficient approach and expertise that many bigger firms can’t match"

"As client contact, Matt is always easy to get in touch with and responsive, easy to work with and flexible but always keeps us and the project team steered in the right direction. As project manager, Matt is super conscious of our construction dollars and brings his years of codes and construction experience to get permits passed smoothly and work as a partner with the construction team. JMB2 recently got the building permits passed on a small permit in one review without city comments under 10 days."

"JMB2’s partnership and skill became clear from the beginning as we watched classroom layouts transform from quick schematic sketches into clearly defined flexible yet specialized educational spaces. As the design progressed, Matt was able to reduce the initial overall building area and associated costs while actually expanding the programming – a tremendous feat indeed!"

"It is great to work with Matt and his associates, a well-organized company, that’s been around the block and knows what problems can occur and save you the stress."

"Matt not only had good cost cutting ideas but was very positive in attitude and possessed the ability to respond quickly to allow the project to move forward without delay."

"Matt was the lead architect for the renovation of our old gymnasium into a new dining hall. The gym, long an icon on campus, was transformed into a spectacular new space while preserving the feel of the old space. Alumni continue to marvel at this old space newly constituted."

"Matt understands the importance of teamwork and every team member’s input is valued. He went the extra mile to resolve challenges that a problem can often present in an expedient manner."

"Our tenant client, Swire Oilfield Services, came to us with a “hard” relocation/move-in date for their North American Corporate Headquarters of 90 days and had employees and their families moving to Houston for that date. If that wasn’t challenge enough, that timeframe included design, demo, bid/permitting and construction. The program included laboratories and the design had to be as good as or better than their “design-recognized” International Headquarters in Scotland. JMB2 and A-1 lost no time working in partnership, with us & Swire, on design sketches, cost estimates, and most importantly to create an imaginative phased schedule, taking advantage of overlapping demo, design, permit, and construction periods targeting a narrow critical path deadline. The result was a happy client able to move in on time while realizing savings in their contingency dollars."

"I had the pleasure of working with him (Matt) on the Christa McAuliffe Renovations project for Fort Bend ISD which was completed in August of 2013. This particular renovation project had various aspects which required attention to existing concealed conditions and on site direction based on such. He worked with all team members in order to resolve these matters expeditiously and keep the project on schedule."

"Choosing JMB2 paid off on his very first visit to the site. Our initial expectation was to tear down some existing buildings to make way for an expensive new dorm building similar to the Parks project. In one fail swoop, Matt’s creativity and experience saved us as much as a million dollars while actually creating more building area than we had expected. Simply put, he kept and retrofit an existing building slated for demolition mirrored the plan for a new dorm building and overlaid a campus master plan tying everything together. Again, in lieu of demolition, he urged us to keep and retrofit three other existing buildings so that with minimal cost, we will soon be able boast of a new “Cowboy Chapel”, covered recreation facility and overflow storage and office space. Overlaying these critical planning concepts, Matt also imposed new cohesive architectural design elements and materials that really capture the feel of the facility & region we had hoped for and brought the entire campus of nine buildings together for a better functioning and cohesive whole."

"Matt/JMB2 was proficient and conscientious in working on constructability issues to reduce the project total installed cost, and effective in working with the Travis County Fire Marshall to resolve construction permit issues. In fact, JMB2 saved weeks off the schedule and tens of thousands of construction dollars by eliminating sprinkler and fire alarm code requirements through careful analysis of the project and by working closely with the local fire marshal to get to the most efficient code requirement that would be necessary. In addition to these savings, JMB2 added quality to the project, through efficient but thoughtful design, by transforming the Center from what started out as a plain metal building to what evolved into a beautiful and appropriate pagoda style design."

"From the first meeting Matt inspired, guided and supported our efforts to verbalize our thoughts in what we would like in a home. He took great care in listening to our thoughts & ideas. He translated these ideas into a wonderful space and design, keeping our needs at the forefront."

"In the beginning, his (Matt’s) firm donated countless hours of effort to the fledgling project in creating fundraising materials and presenting the project concept to community groups for support. As the process continued, Matt brought together divergent people, plans and ideas to solve problems and produce project success. I realize that Matt/JMB2 was not only instrumental in conceptualizing and developing our beautiful yet functional campus of buildings for our youths, but also helped shepherd us through a demanding economic and political process involving ever changing/challenging budget constraints and working through community concerns and governing authority review challenges."

"Matt’s enthusiasm and dedication are both inspiring and motivating. Our project was probably “a small fish in his pond”, but he made us feel like we were his top priority. We believe Matt works hard to build authentic relationships with his clients. He exhibits many qualities that are essential his profession."

"JMB2 provided a great set of documents to start with, but more importantly, listened to our concerns during construction, was a complete team player, problem solver, easy to get a hold of, and consistently responsive within 24 hours to most of our requests for information or help. Matt’s knowledge of construction and positive/can do attitude made it easy to partner and problem solve so that the work could move forward in situations that might normally be a problem and slow things down."

"Candidly, upon meeting Mr. Brown, you immediately get a unique sense of experience, ability and concern for the client’s interests. We have seen complexities in projects that Mr. Brown solves by getting the team to work together to find creative design solutions. A specific project at Sweeny ISD, Mr Brown’s influence got the team to bring the project within budget and actually made for a better facility for the owner."