The Complex is situated in the heart of a culturally diverse and distinctly traditional agricultural region of the Middle Rio Grande Valley. The last 100 years have ushered in major changes in the population’s geographic distribution. Society, dominated by urban interests, too often tends to ignore the effects of policies on traditional rural life.

The design balances traditional environmental and economic challenges while resisting overt urban influences to preserve the precious qualities of “rural life.” Don did a study of agrarian structures that yielded ideas that influenced the contemporary design solutions. The objective was to develop a Master plan to provide the complex a harmonious sense of place. Gathering places such as town squares, public plazas and hacienda compounds provided appropriate organizing precedent for ordering the needed facilities and site amenities.