Austin Convention Center Expansion
Austin, Texas
Reception halls, meeting rooms, pre-function spaces and circulation towers in this 400,000-square-foot addition are expressed as individual elements linked together by entries, porches and terraces in order to create an appropriate scale along pedestrian-oriented streets. Larger volumes of the exhibition halls and ballrooms are tucked behind. The concourses that tie all of the functions together culminate in an elegant corner pavilion which is the new “front door” for the whole facility. Its impeccably detailed curtain wall integrates an innovative approach to structure with careful attention to sun control and natural ventilation.
The “tour-de-force” of the building is a large glass screen wall on the west face of the pavilion designed in collaboration with sculptor Jamie Carpenter. It not only provides sun shading, but it also becomes a piece of glass sculpture and a solar energy farm. A series of translucent panels with photovoltaic cells on the outside surface face southwest to capture maximum exposure for solar collection and block sun during the hottest hours of the day. A series of muted blue panels face due west and contribute color and animation while further reducing heat and glare for the interior.
Awards: Crystal Achievement Award, Most Innovative Curtainwall; Texas Society of Architects Design Award; Austin Chapter AIA Merit Award; Society of American Registered Architects Design Award; Downtown Austin Alliance IMPACT Award; Texas Downtown Association, Best New Construction
Publications: Architectural Record – March 2005; Architecture – June 2003; Modern Steel Construction – May 2003; OFX (Italy) – June 2004; Texas Architect – January/February 2003; Texas Architect – September/October 2003