flexiblefullpage

HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV

Menu View Full Menu
Subscribe Here
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

First look: Austin breaks ground on 'light-filled' Central Library

First look: Austin breaks ground on 'light-filled' Central Library

Design scheme by Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch incorporates reading "porches" and a light-filled, six-story atrium.

By BD+C Editors | June 7, 2013
Continue Reading
The city of Austin, Texas, last week broke ground on its new Central Library, establishing a major civic presence and community gathering space in the heart of the city’s redeveloped Seaholm district. The library, which is scheduled for completion in 2016, is designed by the architectural joint venture of Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch.
 
The building is defined by a light-filled, six-story atrium space wrapped by collections and event space. Distinctive elements include a series of reading porches that overlook Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake, a quiet reading room, café, and Recycled Reads bookstore. Special areas that support the city’s emerging culture and arts scene include a 350-seat special events center.
 
The library is targeting a minimum of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. Its sustainable strategies include a major photovoltaic panel array, which will generate electrical power for the building; a rainwater harvesting system that will provide water for landscape irrigation and restroom plumbing fixtures; and a landscaped roof.
 
The facility supports alternative transportation, with charging stations for electric cars; a 150-bike corral, and direct links to the multi-use paths that run along the water.
 
The 198,000 square foot facility will replace the city’s 1979 Faulk Central Library.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tags

Related Stories

UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis
Green | Oct 6, 2021

My reaction to the UN IPCC Climate Change 2021 report: Ugh!

The recent report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is not a happy read.

A new addition at The National Aviary in Pittsburgh showcases acid-etched, solar control low-e glass to provide views, bird safety and energy performance. Photo courtesy of Vitro Architectural Glass
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 1, 2021

Specifying Responsibly to Save Birds’ Lives

Realizing sustainable, bird-friendly glass design

BIPV glass modules can be used with virtually any glass substrate or low-e coating to achieve desired aesthetics. Photo courtesy of Vitro Architectural Glass
Sponsored | Glass and Glazing | Oct 1, 2021

Seizing the Daylight with BIPV Glass

Glass has always been an idea generator. Now, it’s also a clean energy generator.

Riding the great AEC resignation wave
Architects | Sep 30, 2021

Riding the great AEC resignation wave

More people than ever are reconsidering what work and career mean. What can AEC firms do to recruit and retain workers in this changing workplace environment? Karl Feldman, Partner with Hinge Marketing, discusses ideas and strategies with BD+C's John Caulfield in this exclusive interview for HorizonTV. 

Plans move forward on Central Place Sydney, duel towers with an AI-driven facade system
Glass and Glazing | Sep 30, 2021

Plans move forward on Central Place Sydney, duel towers with an AI-driven façade system

SOM and Fender Katsalidis are designing the project.

Hoffmann Architects Welcomes Travis Heim as Senior Staff Architect
Architects | Sep 28, 2021

Hoffmann Architects Welcomes Travis Heim as Senior Staff Architect

Hoffmann Architects, an architecture and engineering firm specializing in the rehabilitation of building exteriors, announces that Travis Heim has joined the New York office as Senior Staff Architect.

Getting diversity, equity, and inclusion going in AEC firms
AEC Business Innovation | Sep 28, 2021

Getting diversity, equity, and inclusion going in AEC firms

As a professional services organization built on attracting the best and brightest talent, VIATechnik relies on finding new ways to do just that. Here are some tips that we’ve learned through our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) journey.

Designing for the ‘missing middle’ in multifamily housing, with Patrick Winters, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Nadel Architects
Multifamily Housing | Sep 22, 2021

Designing for the ‘missing middle’ in multifamily housing

Multifamily housing expert Patrick Winters, AIA, discusses a neglected segment of the market: the "missing middle."

11 notable multifamily projects to debut in 2021; Pictured: Presidium Revelstoke, North Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: Jeff Brady, 360X360 Tours
Multifamily Housing | Sep 22, 2021

11 notable multifamily projects to debut in 2021

A residence for older LGBTQ+ persons, a P3 student housing building, and a converted masonic lodge highlight the multifamily developments to debut this year. 

Wasted energy from data centers could power nearby buildings, WZMH Architects, Ryerson University
Data Centers | Sep 22, 2021

Wasted energy from data centers could power nearby buildings

A Canadian architecture firm comes up with a concept for a community that’s part of a direct-current microgrid.

boombox1
boombox2

Top Articles

native1

More In Category

Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.

Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021