Spread across 1.3 million sf in Austin, Texas the new East Austin District will provide the fast-growing city with its first pro-sports stadium and large-scale music arena.
The 40,000-seat outdoor bowl is designed for large-scale soccer and rugby matches, music festivals, and other major events. The 15,000-seat multi-purpose arena is connected to the stadium and will serve as the home for Rodeo Austin, musical acts, basketball, and hockey.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
The stadium and arena are joined by 190,000-sf of premium facilities and support functions. The separate buildings are unified by all-wooden interiors. Eight courtyards act as outdoor living rooms that connect the entire district. Visitors can gather in the public parks and plazas for communal gatherings, food truck scenes, recreation, and concerts. At the edge of the district are buildings for retail, shopping, dining, and hospitality. Youth education and enrichment are promoted via 28,000-sf of youth facilities.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
“Like a collective campus rather than a monolithic stadium, the East Austin District unifies all the elements of rodeo and soccer into a village of courtyards and canopies,” says Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG, in a release. “Embracing Austin’s local character and culture, the East Austin District is a single destination composed of many smaller structures under one roof.”
The entire district is laid out in a checkerboard that appears as a latticed roofscape from above. The roof offers protection from the elements as well as a home for red photovoltaic panels that allow the entire district to be self-sufficient. The plan is for East Austin District to one day share its energy resources community-wide to power East Austin’s electricity and economy.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Rendering courtesy of BIG.
Related Stories
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Oct 24, 2024
Stadium renovation plans unveiled for Boston’s National Women’s Soccer League
A city-owned 75-year-old stadium in Boston’s historic Franklin Park will be renovated for a new National Women’s Soccer League team. The park, designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted in the 1880s, is the home of White Stadium, which was built in 1949 and has since fallen into disrepair.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Oct 17, 2024
In the NIL era, colleges and universities are stepping up their sports facilities game
NIL policies have raised expectations among student-athletes about the quality of sports training and performing facilities, in ways that present new opportunities for AEC firms.
Designers | Oct 1, 2024
Global entertainment design firm WATG acquires SOSH Architects
Entertainment design firm WATG has acquired SOSH Architects, an interior design and planning firm based in Atlantic City, N.J.
Products and Materials | Aug 31, 2024
Top building products for August 2024
BD+C Editors break down August's top 15 building products, from waterproof wall panel systems to portable indoor pickleball surface solutions.
Designers | Jul 29, 2024
Inclusive design for locker rooms: Providing equitable choice and access
SRG designers pose the question: What would it look like if everyone who wanted to use a restroom or locker room could?
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 15, 2024
Smart stadiums: The future of sports and entertainment venues
These digitally-enhanced and connected spaces are designed to revolutionize the fan experience, enhance safety, and optimize operational efficiency, according to SSR's Will Maxwell, Smart Building Consultant.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 23, 2024
The Cincinnati Open will undergo a campus-wide renovation ahead of the expanded 2025 tournament
One of the longest-running tennis tournaments in the country, the Cincinnati Open will add a 2,000-seat stadium, new courts and player center, and more greenspace to create a park-like atmosphere.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Apr 25, 2024
How pools can positively affect communities
Clark Nexsen senior architects Jennifer Heintz and Dorothea Schulz discuss how pools can create jobs, break down barriers, and create opportunities within communities.
Mixed-Use | Apr 9, 2024
A surging master-planned community in Utah gets its own entertainment district
Since its construction began two decades ago, Daybreak, the 4,100-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, has been a catalyst and model for regional growth. The latest addition is a 200-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will serve as a walkable and bikeable neighborhood within the community, anchored by a minor-league baseball park and a cinema/entertainment complex.
