The new 14-story, 480,000-square-foot project is the first commercial office on the lake.
Bolstering Austin’s waterfront district, One Lady Bird Lake features a curved form and rich material palette to provide a sophisticated addition to the skyline and rapidly growing business community. Situated on 750 feet of lake side property, the project will offer tenants direct access to the active waterfront, with walking and biking trails and thoughtful landscape design that engages both the office and retail components of the building and immerses One Lady Bird Lake into the activity of the city.
“When visiting the site, we were inspired by the shape and flow of the lake,” said Trent Tesch, KPF Design Principal. “We applied that sense of movement to the design of the building, creating a sweeping form and stepped massing that makes room for terraces so people can easily enjoy the outdoors and beautiful views. And different colors and materials on the façade make it an eye-catching building.”
One Lady Bird Lake’s floors are grouped in packages of three, bound by rich, green spandrel conditions. This palette contrasts the tower’s copper-hued, geometric façade that aids with sun shading. Narrow vertical mullions on the north façade increase window width to capture the expansive views of downtown Austin while wider vertical mullions on the south façade amplify the building’s environmental performance.
“Austin’s waterfront is such an integral and beloved part of the city, we wanted to make sure that our project makes a positive contribution to the area,” said Bob Graustein, KPF Senior Associate Principal and Senior Designer on the project. “That’s why this project, in addition to being a great office building, is all about the views, outdoor space, and an activated ground plane to fully immerse itself and the people who use it into the surroundings.”
The Class-A building offers generous leasing depths to create prime floor plates that meet the needs of contemporary tech tenants. The floor plates oscillate in size as terraces step in and out to offer access to nature and outdoor space for users. Of the thirteen office floors, nine contain terraces. The ground floor spaces are oriented to the views of Lady Bird Lake and the Austin skyline, while discreetly optimizing loading and parking entrances on the south side.
“Working with Related on this project in Austin has been a fantastic experience,” said Forth Bagley, KPF Managing Principal. “We’re so excited that KPF has the opportunity to lead the design of such an impactful, well-crafted, and sustainable project in such a dynamic city like Austin, and we can’t wait to see this project become a reality.”
One Lady Bird Lake is easily accessible by bike path and public transportation, and is within a 20-minute drive of numerous local landmarks and residential areas. The building includes front-of-house facilities for bicycle commuters, and is infused with smart technology, including biometric entry and mobile apps to call the elevators.
Construction on One Lady Bird Lake is expected to begin in late 2023 with an estimated grand opening in 2025. For more information about the project, please see Related’s press release.