Watching a Next-Level Tower Come To Life In The Woodlands — Architect Johnny Cruz Is Moved By the Ritz-Carlton Residences’ Progress

The most ambitious luxury high-rise project in the history of The Woodlands is slowly coming to life — and seeing it happen is an architect’s dream. The topping off ceremony for The Woodlands’ new Ritz-Carlton Residences brought Robert A.M. Stern’s (RAMSA) Johnny Cruz home to Texas, along with Paul Whalen and Luis Arturo Corzo.

“From the architect’s point of view, it was great to see something go from just a thought in your head, from pencil and paper in a sketch to seeing the real thing going up,” Cruz tells PaperCity The Woodlands.

While the architects’ designs are showcased in renderings and sophisticated modeling prior to construction, seeing the building in real life just hits differently.

“It confirmed a lot of our assumptions, design wise, about how this thing really might turn out,” Cruz says. “You can only study a building so much with virtual reality or in a clay model or physical model and so forth. But seeing the real thing. . . It is going to be  spectacular from every single vantage point. That was always the goal when we began the project.”

The first standalone Ritz-Carlton Residences in Texas began with the setting provided by an eight acre site along Lake Woodlands. And because it’s The Woodlands, preserving the existing trees on the site became part of the sustainability of the project for Cruz.

“There was an existing sort of buffer of trees on the north edge, on Lake Woodlands that we wanted to protect,” he says. “I’ve actually seen them planting additional trees. I think that’s fantastic.”

The lake setting helps set much of the stage for much of this pioneering 15-story tower.

“I remember walking the site before anything was built,” Cruz says. “That sort of peninsula area had some scrubby stuff, but there really wasn’t much there. So that gave us some clues as to where to put the building, protect that northern buffer. And then site the building as close to the water as possible. But we wanted to leave enough room to get the outdoor amenity features.

“This is Texas. Barbecue pits were very important.”

A Tower Of Options

One of the most unusual parts of the Ritz Carlton Residences, The Woodlands is the breadth of floor plans that will be available in the luxury tower.

“We work closely with Douglas Elliman, and it’s an iterative process,” Cruz says. “We would produce sketches. ‘What do we think about the living room being here? Or the living room being there? Or are we capturing the best view?’ And this would go through cycle after cycle, not just with Douglas Elliman, but also some representatives from Howard Hughes as well. Everyone was involved. These plans were crafted to suit the taste of this area.

“Each of the units is being designed to feel like an estate, like your residence that you’re leaving in the countryside, and it just so happens you’re a little bit higher off the ground. With great views. And you have all the bells and whistles and services of something like the Ritz and what they bring to the table. Believe it or not, they each have their own little idiosyncratic nuances to them, which I think people appreciate. And I think one of the big draws in terms of why it’s so popular, is the variety in the plans.”

That design will be complemented by a country-club atmosphere with outdoor and wellness amenities and concierge services. Spanning eight private acres, the development is set to feature approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor wellness and lifestyle amenities, three acres of outdoor experiences and 1,200 feet of lakefront shoreline for residents.

River Oaks Inspiration

Much of the inspiration for the Ritz-Carlton Residences, The Woodlands came from the work of John Staub, the New York architect who came to Houston, fell in love with the city and became known as man who built River Oaks. The new high-rise’s limestone facade is one of those John Staub-like touches.

Many of the precast concrete panels are already in place. The installation of some of that limestone facade is set to begin soon.

“At the base, the lower two levels will all be handset limestone,” Cruz tells PaperCity. “They’re very, very close to getting to that point. In about three weeks I get to inspect what they call a dry lay, where they put all the hand cut pieces of stone on the ground, and assemble them as they would be assembled on site, to look to make sure that the color variation is according to our specifications.

“That’s going to happen in Italy in a couple of weeks.”

The limestone is sourced from a quarry in Portugal, and the slabs will be shipped to Italy for cutting.

“All of the factories that actually cut the stone and the people who are doing it, they have an existing quarry there of Carrera marble, and it’s the same quarry that Michelangelo’s David was actually sourced from,” Cruz reveals.

Construction is scheduled to continue until it is completed in 2027, when the Ritz-Carlton Residences, The Woodlands is slated to open.

“I always think we have to serve three constituents that we designed for,” Cruz says. “The first one, of course, is the developer that’s important. They’re the client. The second one is the unit owners. You know, we have to craft plans and residences that fit their their needs and so forth. And the third one, which we never really talk about, what we should talk about most, is the city and doing a responsible building. Something that will enhance the neighborhood, not be an eyesore.

Cruz saw that in person, with the vision rising to life, in his visit to the site.

“It’s a beautiful silhouette, and the building is not symmetrical,” the architect says. “It’s very casual. It’s sort of grows out of the site I think. And I just think it’s just an interesting building.”

That the interesting building has barbecue pits is not lost on the Texas-raised Cruz, who misses good Texas barbecue.

“It’s hard to find good barbecue anywhere in New York City. And in fact, it’s so hard to find I have to do it on my own,” he says. “In fact, I just did a brisket a couple of weeks ago.”

Cruz sounds at home back in Texas. With part of his vision coming to life behind him.