Lawrence Group: 25 Years of Growth in Austin

Opened in 1999 by Lawrence Group-appointed New York modernist Architect I. Earl Swisher, Lawrence Group’s Austin office continues on a growth trajectory under the leadership of Managing Principal Luma Jaffar, AIA, RIBA, LEED BD+C who replaced Swisher upon his retirement in December 2020.

During Swisher’s 21-year tenure with Lawrence Group, he worked to position the branch as one of the top architectural firms in the Austin region for community and higher education design, with such notable projects as the Belo (renamed G.B. Dealey) Center for New Media at the University of Texas; Georgetown’s new City Hall and Municipal Court; PeopleFund’s new Austin headquarters; and other transformative projects.

A creative, strategic thinker and a 25-year-veteran of design, Jaffar is building on Swisher’s accomplishments with a plan to grow the branch’s staff and projects; strengthen its community civic expertise; grow its hospitality and multi-family housing design studio; and expand its higher education and healthcare proficiency throughout Texas.

To date, Jaffar and her 12-member team have earned the privilege of working on some of the region’s most significant projects, including: the State Bar of Texas’ new Education and Event Center in Downtown Austin; Austin Community College’s Dental Hygiene Expansion at Eastview Campus; University of Saint Thomas student housing; and Austin Regional Clinic’s (ARC) specialty clinics and state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center located at Ben White Boulevard.