Fifth and Tillery, an adaptive reuse project, has revitalized a post-industrial site in East Austin, Texas. Limited to the footprint of an existing warehouse, the site has been reimagined as a vibrant indoor-outdoor creative office building.
The design inverts the typical office environment by bringing pedestrian circulation outdoors, which reduces energy demand and promotes tenant wellbeing. An inviting entry plaza serves as an outdoor lobby. Oriented to the south, the plaza invites predominant breezes into a landscaped courtyard that doubles as a multitenant corridor and source of daylight.
The site features a central green corridor and rain garden inspired by the native ravine microhabitats of Central Texas. An onsite reclaimed water system captures roof runoff, directing it to the raingarden and water feature that runs through the campus.
Integration of nature throughout the property draws users into common spaces, creating a dynamic social environment that encourages chance connections and spontaneous collaboration. A large social stairway promotes active design and can also function as an auditorium for community events. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the shaded courtyard, and a north-facing elevation maximizes views of the landscape.
Punched openings balance daylight and heat gain along the east and west facing facades. Bolstering the building’s sustainability, an overhead photovoltaic array and covered walkways provide shade. To improve air quality, integrated louvers with fresh air fans were placed around the courtyard where landscape and breezes provide natural filtration. The expansive photovoltaic array helps reduce the building’s embodied and operational carbon footprint.
The architectural theme is utilitarian and natural, with a simple palette of industrial materials layered onto a hybrid timber structure that blends seamlessly into neighboring districts. Complimentary materials—left-over glulam segments—were used as benches that mirror the beams of the primary structure. Prominently placed cisterns at the building’s entry reflects the site’s industrial history and emphasis on sustainable design.
On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: CIM Group
Design architect: Gensler
Architect of record: Gensler
MEP engineer: Arete
Structural engineer: MJ Structures
General contractor/construction manager: RM Chiapas
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 45 Engineering Architecture Firms for 2022
Jacobs, AECOM, WSP, and Burns & McDonnell top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2022
Top 80 Engineering Firms for 2022
Kimley-Horn, Tetra Tech, Langan, and NV5 head the rankings of the nation's largest engineering firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
| Aug 22, 2022
For Gen Z, “enhanced communication” won’t cut it
As the fastest-growing generation, Generation Z, loosely defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, has become a hot topic in conversations surrounding workplace design.
Giants 400 | Aug 21, 2022
Top 110 Architecture/Engineering Firms for 2022
Stantec, HDR, HOK, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 20, 2022
Top 180 Architecture Firms for 2022
Gensler, Perkins and Will, HKS, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Daylighting | Aug 18, 2022
Lisa Heschong on 'Thermal and Visual Delight in Architecture'
Lisa Heschong, FIES, discusses her books, "Thermal Delight in Architecture" and "Visual Delight in Architecture," with BD+C's Rob Cassidy.
| Aug 17, 2022
IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus
Built in 1968, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), at 1.7 million square feet, is the largest office campus in Florida.
| Aug 9, 2022
Work-from-home trend could result in $500 billion of lost value in office real estate
Researchers find major changes in lease revenues, office occupancy, lease renewal rates.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Office developers aim for zero carbon without offsets
As companies reassess their office needs in the wake of the pandemic, a new arms race to deliver net zero carbon space without the need for offsets is taking place in London, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
