The East Village

Located in the Revitalization District of East 11th Street, the vertical mixed use project includes 11 retail stores and offices, 20 residential condominiums of which 20% are affordable housing, and roof top decks accessible by all residents. The unique solar screen on the south and west facades are just one of the many aspects of the design that contributes to the 3-Star Green Building Rating. The East Village is also one of the City of Austin’s S.M.A.R.T. (Safe, Mixed-Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced, Transit Oriented) Housing developments.

The project sought to capture the diversity the neighborhood offers by developing a dynamic and creative environment for its residents, combining retail shops and small commercial offices with residential units on the upper floors. On the fourth floor are two green roofs; each with a wonderful view into downtown.

The design of the building incorporates modest materials in creative and dynamic ways. The entire ground level is full height glass mounted in front of a steel structure. This gives the illusion of the entire building floating on cubes of glass. To further enhance the visual `lightness` of the building, the entrance to the site is under a long span steel truss that supports 2 stories of residential units across a 65 ft span. The upper south and west facades are shielded from the hot Texas sun with a multi-faceted steel panel screen which doubles as a shading device and guardrails for the residential balconies.

In addition to the steel sunscreen, features such as insulated Low-E glazing, recycled and recyclable materials, no paint, R-19 insulated walls, R-30 insulated roof, passive insect control, construction waste recycling, and low impact native landscaping all work together to make the East Village a healthy building for the residents and the community.

Architect

Bercy Chen Studio

Location

Austin, TX

Recognition

Featured in the 2011 Nov/Dec issue of Texas Architect