This vertical mixed use project includes 11 retail stores and offices, 20 residential condominiums, and roof top decks that are accessible by all residents. To create an illusion of the entire building floating on cubes of glass, the entire ground level is full height glass mounted in front of a steel structure. To further enhance the visual ‘lightness’ of the building, the entrance to the site is under a long span steel truss that supports two stories of residential units across a 65ft span. The exposed steel structure within the retail/office space and across the site entrance required careful coordination by Structures to ensure chosen shapes and sizes realized the architectural intent. Structures also proactively coordinated column locations with the architect to provide column lines that worked for both the residential and retail/office levels, which avoided costly transfer girders while maintaining the best use of space and architectural intent.
Structures worked closely with the architect and landscape designer to provide cost effective solutions for the rooftop gardens. Instead of assigning a blanket overly conservative loading to these gardens, which could adversely affect member sizes for the columns and entry truss below, Structures worked with the team to choose the landscaping system and more accurately define loads accordingly.
Location: Austin, Texas
Architect: Bercy Chen Studio
Sustainability: City of Austin 3-Star Green Building Rating
Recognition:
