Hospitality

W Hotel & Residences

Austin, Texas/In Association with Andersson·Wise Architects

The Block 21 project in Austin combines a dynamic set of program elements to create a new urban center for the city. This 1,100,000 square-foot project includes the 250-key W Hotel, 159 luxury condominiums, office space and retail space. In addition, the new television broadcast studio and performance venue for PBS’ “Austin City Limits” musical revue and an extensive below-grade parking garage are included in the building podium. The project has achieved LEED® Silver certification.

 

The overall design organization included primarily retail space on perimeter of the block at street level. This was complimented by an open plaza space on the Southwest quadrant of the site, oriented to take advantage of the prevailing breezes that come up from the nearby lake consistently throughout the year and create a strong connection with the public. This strong connection, the corner stone of the project from the beginning, was a major contributor to the decision by the city council to ultimately award the project to our team.