Source: Brinkley Sargent Wigington Architects
Jim Browne’s planning and programming work has won more than 75 awards
HOUSTON — Jim Browne, with more than 40 years of experience in the public parks and recreation sector, joined Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects, a Texas-based firm with offices in Dallas, Waco, and Austin, in September.
The addition of Browne as director of recreation business development and planning reaffirms the planning and architecture firm’s commitment to client-centered planning in the recreation realm. Throughout the course of his career as a recreation coordinator, superintendent, and director for several cities in Texas, Browne has overseen more than 50 construction and renovation projects — including multiple ones that involved working with Brinkley Sargent Wiginton. He’s also a former president of the Texas Recreation and Parks Society.
Browne will help perform predesign recreation planning services while also offering an in-house municipal perspective to ongoing planning and design efforts in the recreation sector.
“I understand the importance of great design, and I can bring to that process the perspective of someone involved in the real-world, day-to-day operations of a facility after it opens,” Browne says. “This is a very beneficial approach for both the firm and its clients.”
Browne, 55, retired in 2015 after serving as director of parks and recreation for three Texas Gold Medal-winning cities, including Sugar Land, Rowlett and North Richland Hills.
Approximately 75 of Browne’s park projects, recreation programs, special events, master plans, designs and professional service as an administrator have been recognized by industry organizations as award winners at the state or national level (including the prestigious National Recreation and Parks Association’s Gold Medal Award for Administrative and Management Excellence).
“The constant throughout my career that has kept me challenged and excited is the diversity of the parks and recreation field and the ever-changing trends regarding how people enjoy their leisure time,” Browne says. “There are so many ways you can touch people’s lives and make them better through intelligent design and quality development of facilities.”
About Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects
Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects has a 40-year history of award-winning design, specializing in public architecture with a broad range of project types and clients that span the country. From high-tech projects like recreation centers, natatoriums, and cancer treatment centers to high-profile projects like city halls, courthouses, and public safety buildings, the firm strives to go beyond expectations and design buildings that are unique, beautiful and functional.
