Formation

POST

Overview

Houston, Texas
550,000 ft² renovation

Brief

Reimagine the historic Barbara Jordan Post Office in downtown Houston as a mixed-use complex featuring an arts and music venue, workspaces, and one of the world’s largest rooftop parks and farms. In cooperation with OMA, MTWTF, Powers Brown, Hoerr Schaudt, and Dot Dash. The POST visual identity system was developed by MTWTF.

Services

Design and documentation, testing, vehicular and pedestrian wayfinding

Site Analysis

  • Site offers a cultural terminus to the Bagby Street corridor in north downtown
  • Opportunity to reuse and feature architectural artifacts from the existing site (flag pole, column identification), preserving the historic significance of the original post office
  • Wayfinding program must be distinguishable but also align with the character of the existing structure and new architecture

Updates
09/07/23
POST
Roof Portal
PM roof

Suspended POST MARKET neon for the Skylawn
09/13/22
POST
POST in Cite
POST Cite documentation1
POST Cite documentation2
POST Cite documentation3
POST Cite documentation4
POST Cite documentation5
POST Cite documentation6
POST Cite documentation7
1/7

Write-up by Drake Flood with a premium design by MG&Co.; edited by Jack Murphy. 

It's a good idea to join Rice Design Alliance and subscribe to Cite: The Architecture and Design Review of Houston.
02/11/22
POST
The Spirit of the Place Part 2
Leonid Furmansky OMA THE POST Web
POST final documentation 2022 09 14 175015 rgwr
POST final documentation 10 2022 09 14 174839 cumx
POST final documentation4 2022 09 14 174910 uvah
POST final documentation z 2022 09 14 175004 fgkt
POST final documentation2 2022 09 14 175001 lrkt
POST final documentation5 2022 09 14 175010 nqhz
POST final documentation3 2022 09 14 175019 kbum
1/8

Thanks to Kirby, Salome, and Jason. 

Photographs by Leonid Furmansky.
02/11/22
POST
The Spirit of the Place Part 1
POST final documentation 4 2022 09 14 174749 eqwv
POST final documentation 9 2022 09 14 174754 sfxv
POST final documentation 6 2022 09 14 174757 glhm
POST final documentation 2 2022 09 14 174813 pclu
POST final documentation 2022 09 14 174821 ppvh
POST final documentation 7 2022 09 14 174826 bfqk
POST final documentation 8 2022 09 14 174831 agxz
POST final documentation 11 2022 09 14 174834 nunw
POST final documentation 3 2022 09 14 174837 xivt
1/9

Thanks to Kirby, Salome, and Jason. 

Photographs by Leonid Furmansky.
01/28/22
POST
Project Documentation Part 2
POST documentation 2022 01 29 002004 kzzs
POST documentation3 2022 01 29 002004 xlra
POST documentation2 2022 01 29 002004 oqaj
POST documentation5 2022 01 29 002004 dibl
POST documentation4 2022 01 29 002004 gfit
POST documentation19
POST documentation6 2022 01 29 002005 pems
POST documentation15 2022 01 29 003130 eddr
POST documentation13 2022 01 29 003123 umau
POST documentation14 2022 01 29 003123 leqj
1/10

Photographs by Mickey Aloisio.
01/28/22
POST
Project Documentation Part 1
POST documentation7
POST documentation12
POST documentation8
POST documentation9
POST documentation10
POST documentation11
POST documentation18
POST documentation16
POST documentation21
1/9
01/11/22
POST
Site Identification Installation

Size: Maximum Allowed
01/07/22
POST
Project Features

🔗 OMA
🔗 The Architect's Newspaper
🔗 designboom
🔗 Houston Chronicle
🔗 Arch20
🔗 ArchDaily
12/23/21
POST
Sign structure models
1/3
09/22/21
POST
Skylawn Signage Install
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
Site images new post AS4
Site images new post AS5
Site images new post AS6
Site images new post AS7 red
1/8

Rooftop signage
09/09/21
POST
Fabrication
Site images new post AS6
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
Site images new post AS4
Site images new post AS5
1/6

Shop visit to GraphTec, Inc.
07/15/21
POST
Interior Install
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
1/3

Phase one installation
02/01/21
POST
Skylawn Surveys
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
Site images new post AS4
Site images new post AS5
1/5

Rooftop signage planning
01/20/21
POST
Site Walks / Construction
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
Site images new post AS4
Site images new post AS5
Site images new post AS6
Site images new post AS7
Site images new post AS8
Site images new post AS9
Site images new post AS10
Site images new post AS11
Site images new post AS12
1/12

Sign location planning, construction process documentation
01/04/21
POST
Bayou Sight Line Study
Site images new post AS
Site images new post AS2
Site images new post AS3
1/3

Pedestrian path view
12/23/20
POST
Design Team Site Walk
POST sitewalk 1223
POST sitewalk 12232
POST sitewalk 12233
POST sitewalk 12234
POST sitewalk 12235
POST sitewalk 12236
POST sitewalk 12237
1/8

Mockup reviews and sign location planning
11/02/20
POST
Scale Model: Site Identification Part 1
POST model update
POST model update2
POST model update3
1/3

Philip built a wood model of the site identification sign structure
11/02/20
POST
Scale Model: Site Identification Part 2
POST model update4
POST model update5
1/2

Internal illumination simulated with electroluminescent wire and printed vellum
09/25/20
POST
Site Identification part 2
POST site ID structure1
POST site ID structure2
POST site ID structure3
POST site ID structure4
POST site ID structure5
POST site ID structure6
POST site ID structure7
POST site ID structure8
POST site ID structure9
POST site ID structure10
1/10

Development of form and structure
09/25/20
POST
Site Identification part 1
POST site ID lighting1 201020 163453
POST site ID lighting2 201020 163453
POST site ID lighting3 201020 163454
POST site ID lighting4 201020 163454
POST site ID lighting5 201020 163455
POST site ID lighting6 201020 163455
1/6

Material and Illumination studies
07/25/20
POST
Unused: path lamps
POST lamp studies axo
POST lamp studies render
1/2

Landscape lighting studies
07/19/20
POST
Under Construction
POST construction2
POST construction3
POST construction
1/3

Scenes from a site visit
04/20/20
POST
Studying: material transparency, flexibility, shadow color
POST materials3 200726 001706
POST materials2
POST materials
1/3

Clamp lamp and flexible PVC
08/13/19
POST
Barbara Jordan Statement, 1974
0.1mb
Barbara-Jordan-Statement-on-Impeachment-Articles.pdf
08/12/19
POST
Installation
IMG 5882 2
1/2

Kronberg's Flags
08/12/19
POST
Field Test Part 4

1:1 mockup of sign type 406
08/12/19
POST
Field Test Part 3

1:1 mockup of sign type 405
08/12/19
POST
Field Test Part 2
IMG 5878
IMG 5864 2
IMG 5889
IMG 5886
IMG 5887
1/5

Fabricating scale mockup of sign type 405 in Philip's wood shop
06/27/19
POST
Houston Chronicle Article

Coverage of the POST public announcement and ground breaking ceremony
06/26/19
POST
Field Test Part 1
IMG 6929
IMG 6966
IMG 6924
1/4

Using an augmented reality iPhone application to answer questions of scale for planned scaffolding installation.
06/21/19
POST
Featured on OMA

Announcement of OMA's involvement in the design of POST Houston
06/14/18
POST
Workshop × MTWTF
POST site halftone

Initial planning and charrette at the office of MTWTF, New York
04/30/18
POST
Site Visit, Workshop
Site visit 0006 IMG 5181
Site visit 0007 IMG 3447
Site visit 0008 Layer 0
Site visit 0003 IMG 9436
Site visit 0004 IMG 9249
Site visit 0005 IMG 2746
Site visit 0001 IMG 7617
Site visit 0002 IMG 4243
Site visit 0000 IMG 3781
1/9

Site tour and project workshop with OMA, Powers Brown, Hoerr Schaudt, MTWTF
03/01/18
POST
Announcement of Work
Post Antique edited
Jordan
1/2

FORMATION is pleased to be part of the design team reimagining the former US Postal Service distribution center at 401 Franklin in Downtown Houston. 

This important structure was originally designed by Wilson Morris Crain & Anderson and named in honor of Barbara Jordan, civil rights activist and the first Southern African-American woman elected to the US House of Representatives.

Related Projects
ACC1801 BUFFALO HEIGHTS

Wayfinding and environmental graphics for a multipurpose district located in proximity to Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Park.
ELC1901 EL CENTRO

Identity rebrand for a system of Federally Qualified Health Centers providing services to immigrant communities in Houston’s East End.
DAR1901 REPUBLIC SQUARE

Contextual organization system and environmental graphics for a unique and enduring office park in Houston's Energy Corridor.