Today we’d like to introduce you to Ada Corral.
Hi Ada, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Camille and Ada, the founders of Jobe Corral Architects, were neighbors before they were partners. In 2013, they were both running their separate firms, when out of the desire to collaborate, they joined forces and created the company in August of 2014.
One of the goals JCA hoped to achieve early on was to combine the partners’ complementary personalities, skills and strengths to create authentic and creative projects with an acute attention to detail. It was also very important to the culture of the company to engage with clients in a collaborative way that would inspire trust and respect among everyone involved. A last guiding principle was to involve contractors, consultants and local craftspeople early in the designs, in order to learn from the experts and elevate every project. Throughout the last 11 years, JCA has kept these intentions at the forefront of their practice.
Both partners put immense value in the service to the community. Initially, while mostly working on residential projects, the company focused on individual service with many organizations in town, such as our local AIA chapter, Leadership Austin, The Junior League of Austin, and Ballet Austin. Since the start of the company, JCA aspired to also contribute to the city in a meaningful way directly through architecture. Seeking opportunities with larger teams, building relationships and registering the company as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), eventually led to JCA’s first public project, the Festival Beach Restroom, a collaboration between the City of Austin and The Trail Conservancy. Since then, JCA has begun work in two other public projects: the Onion Creek All Abilities Playground, and the City of Austin’s new Convention Center, where JCA is designing the 24,000sf Venue Management Offices. Additionally, JCA provides pro-bono and low-cost architectural services to different organizations, such as Community First! Village and Ballet Austin.
Mentorship is another value that JCA strives to foment. The partners have taught at UT and ACC, and many in the company are regular jurors for reviews at UT’s School of Architecture. Additionally, JCA often participates in local and state-wide lectures and conferences as well as AIA Homes Tours both locally and out-of-state.
On this eleventh year of JCA, Camille received here AIA Fellowship status, which is awarded to architects who have made significant contributions to the profession and society, demonstrating excellence and leadership on a national level.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
At Jobe Corral Architects, the design process is never about repeating a formula. Every project is essentially a prototype—with its own site conditions, client needs, and aspirations—which means we’re constantly inventing new solutions. This level of customization comes with its own share of challenges.
Whether we’re navigating a complicated site, interpreting restrictive zoning codes, or tackling complex designs, every project presents challenges. Over time, we’ve learned to welcome them. We’ve reframed how we see obstacles—not as roadblocks, but as invitations to think more creatively. Some of the most compelling aspects of our projects have come from the moments where we had to dig deepest and problem-solve with intention. In many ways, the hardest parts of a project often become the most meaningful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Jobe Corral Architects specializes in the design of well detailed and highly crafted structures using authentic materials. We work with the knowledge that a great project springs from a deep under¬standing of the site, a respectful and transparent relationship with our clients, and a full comprehension of the program. Paying close attention to these factors, and to how our clients actually live and use a space, informs our designs and allows us to create work that supports people and improves their lives.
Where we’ve been:
In the past three years, we have been honored with AIA National awards for two very different projects. We feel these awards are a bookend to the breadth of residential work that we do as a firm.
In 2022, our 199 sf micro home designed for a Community First! Village resident, Jesse Brown, was granted a Small Project Award. The home’s design reflects the ideals of shelter and permanence, as well as Jesse’s notions of how to be a good neighbor. It does much with very little. It is thoughtful without being boastful and serves the very important role of helping to house a formerly homeless neighbor.
In 2023, the River Ranch received an Honor Award for Interior Architecture. This project represents the first nine-years of our eleven year-old firm, as it is the project we started on in 2014 when we formed Jobe Corral Architects. It helped us to build our now nine person studio and it provided us the first opportunity to act as full interior designers as well as architects.
Since the completion of the River Ranch project, we have com¬pleted 6 more residential projects in three states that include full architectural and interiors and interiors procurement services. Expanding our services has allowed us to engage with the details of a space more fully as the design continues to develop through to the pieces selected to live within it.
Where we’re headed:
As we begin to expand beyond residential work, we are choosing our projects carefully to reflect our intentions to impact our community in a positive way. Our completion of the Festival Beach Restroom marked our first public project as a firm and has allowed us to move into bigger, more ambitious projects as members of larger teams.
We are the architects on a team selected to design Austin’s first All-Abil¬ities playground in Onion Creek and we are part of a much larger team of architects and other consultants to design the new Convention Center in downtown Austin. As we join more teams to partner on public projects, we are serving to bring the same warmth, thoughtfulness and contextual vibrancy we strive for in all of our projects, be they large family getaways or a 199 sf home for Jesse Brown in Community First! Village.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned is the power—and the work—of partnership. Before forming Jobe Corral Architects, we each ran our own independent practices, where we had to lead every project and manage the business at the same time. Joining forces meant combining our strengths, but it also required learning how to navigate a shared vision, make joint decisions, and build trust over time.
Like any meaningful relationship, it takes work. We’ve had to be intentional in how we communicate, how we listen, and how we support each other creatively. But the result has been worth it. Our designs are stronger because we bring different ideas to the table. And as business owners, we’ve learned to rely on one another—dividing responsibilities in ways that play to our individual strengths. It’s made our work more thoughtful, more resilient, and ultimately more rewarding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jobecorral.com
- Instagram: @jobe_corral_architects
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jobecorral
