As a firm passionate about designing schools, we support ACE’s mission in striving to create better futures for students. ACE Mentor Program began in 1994 as an after-school program to attract and teach students about career paths in architecture, construction, and engineering.  

ACE is the construction industry’s fastest growing high school mentor program serving more than 10,000 students annually. This past school year was full of incredible events and activities at ACE Houston, the local affiliate of the national ACE organization. ACE Houston students and mentors attended jobsite tours, one being Bellaire High School, a PBK project. They participated in the AIA Gingerbread Build Off and built benches to donate to local charities for “Build It Forward.”    

PBK Partner and National Innovation Leader Melissa Turnbaugh serves on the executive board for ACE Houston. This year she sat on the panel of judges in the student’s project presentation. The students were tasked with designing a pavilion through a request-for-proposal (RFP) process. The students learned how to follow given specifications of what their customer wants and the evaluation criteria on which they would be judged. The top three design teams presented their designs at the end of year showcase. At the showcase, eight graduating students were awarded $29,500 total in ACE Houston scholarships.   

PBK is proud to sponsor ACE Houston as the program continues to build the next generation of architects.