Today we’d like to introduce you to Yen Ong.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The story of our architectural practice began when the four original co-founders of the company were, by chance, assigned to share a 4-person cubicle space in a major architectural firm in Dallas where we worked.
During the course of a couple of years, we spent a lot of late nights working on separate assignments, yet we developed a trusting bond among us. In 2005, we decided, over one dinner sitting, to launch an architectural practice when a project opportunity came upon us through a personal friend. Two weeks following that decision, we found ourselves in a 500 SF office lease space in the Dallas’ West End district. It was a humbling experience, to say the least. We were all talented designers, but we had to learn to be businessmen on the fly.
Our big break came in the year 2008, when we won the commission to be the design architect for the Omni Dallas Hotel at the Dallas Convention Center. With the backdrop of the Great Recession, our company went against the grain and became one of the fastest growing business in Dallas.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’d believe any thriving entrepreneur would share that the struggles were what made the eventual outcome rewarding, because that eventuality might not yield the outcome that one might wish for.
Perhaps naively, we launched our company with the notion that if we combined our talent and dedication to our work, we would be able to break down any barriers to greater opportunities, that our work would speak for themselves. We underestimated the importance of marketing and networking. Our business relied on one client and one project which was placed indefinitely on hold within a couple of months of our founding. What came next was a frenzy of cold calls to potential clients we have never met before. A few of those evolved and enabled our existence today. Frankly, if I were to imagine retracing the steps we took to get to where we are today, and the timing of what have to go right, I’ll be very discouraged at the chances.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the 5G Studio Collaborative story. Tell us more about the business.
5G is an international, award-winning architecture and interior design firm. We’re based in Dallas but maintain offices in Miami, Atlanta, Guadalajara (Mexico), and Surabaya (Indonesia).
With a diverse portfolio of projects, we have been responsible for the design of projects with valuation of over a half-billion USD for a single development.
We are currently working on Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels Dallas in the Design District. Another noteworthy structure in Dallas will be the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel which allowed us to contribute to Dallas’ iconic skyline. Our design approach aims to answer the question: how do we elevate the potential of the communities we enter through design?
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I am excited about the growing public recognition of the importance of designed environments, in terms of how they affect people’s behavior, community life, and urban vitality. Architecture is fundamentally transformative, both in constructive and destructive ways. Within the next decade, the discipline has to propose answers to emerging social and practical issues, such as providing equal access to housing and employment opportunities through urban and infrastructural designs; mobility; environmental sustainability; health and wellness; and physical authenticity to an increasingly digital society, among other things.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5G Studio Collaborative
1217 Main Street, Suite 500
Dallas, Texas 75202 - Website: www.5gstudio.com
- Phone: (214) 670-0050
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5g_studio_collaborative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5GstudioCollaborative/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/5gstudio
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/yeno2t2/
Image Credit:
Michael Moran/OTTO
Adam Mørk
Yen Ong
Jacob Tindall
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