Method Architecture, Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. create digital NFT asset

Jake Donaldson is the managing partner of Houston-based Method Architecture, a full-service architecture and interior design firm.

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By Chris Mathews - Reporter

July 18, 2021, 06:00am CDT

Notable Houston brewery Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. and Houston-based Method Architecture are making their foray into the hot realm of NFTs.

An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a digital asset built on blockchain technology that can be traded much like any other speculative asset. An NFT can be an image, video, audio or music, even Jack Dorsey's first tweet from 2006, which sold for nearly $3 million earlier this year. NFTs can also be digital parcels of land, or digital architectural renderings and designs.

Method Architecture and Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. have worked together in the past: Method served as the architect for Buffalo Bayou's massive new location at Sawyer Yards, which opened in late 2019. The new facility landed the brewery a spot as a finalist in the Houston Business Journal's 2020 Landmark Awards.

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The entrance to Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. at 2101 Summer St. in the Sawyer Yards area.

Lane Gillespie/HBJ

Workers were still putting the finishing touches on the space as of Nov. 21.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

A small merchandise station greets customers at the entrance.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

Thanks to a new Texas law, customers can order beer to go at a counter near the entrance on the first floor. There are three floors in total.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

The dining room for the restaurant on the second floor of Buff Brew.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

The other half of the Buff Brew dining room.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

The hosts' station at the restaurant.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

Kegs of beer await customers.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

Easily viewable on the first floor is Buff Brew's enormous brewing room.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

A private dining space is available on the third floor.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

A patio with downtown views is on the third floor.

Laura Gillespie/HBJ

Method partnered with Buffalo Bayou once again to create the firm's first NFT, a digital rendering of the completed Buffalo Bayou Brewery at 2101 Summer St. The architecture firm minted a digital video of a flyover of the brewery location and listed the asset on the website OpenSea.

"We were curious about how NFT and blockchain technology work, so we thought this could be a fun experiment," said Jake Donaldson, managing partner at Method Architecture. "We could see NFTs becoming more prevalent for unique project types as an opportunity for architects and clients to bring more awareness and build excitement around projects."

A rendering of Method Architecture's Buffalo Bayou Brewery NFT

Method Architecture

The Buffalo Bayou Brewing NFT asset is on auction through the end of July, according to Method. The architecture firm plans to use a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the digital asset to fund support for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. is one of Houston's most popular breweries. The brewery produced 11,000 barrels in 2019, a 38% increase from its 2018 production of 6,871 barrels, bumping Buffalo Bayou Brewing up to the No. 4 spot on the HBJ's 2020 Largest Breweries List.

Method Architecture has other locations in Austin, Dallas and San Antonio. Last year, the firm ranked No. 19 on the HBJ's Largest Houston-Area Architecture Firms List, based on its 2019 local billings of $8.26 million.