[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEBSl7bCBi8″]
We have Jose Lozano from SkyscrperPage to thank for this awesome time lapse video of the construction of Austin’s W Hotel and Residences in the 2nd Street District.
Austin photos, images
SPECIAL OFFER FOR DAB READERS: THE Book About Urbanism In Austin
The Congress for the New Urbanism, CNU, is on the front lines of saving the planet from suburban sprawl. At the 2008 CNU annual conference, hosted in Austin, attending members received an amazing book titled Emergent Urbanism: Evolution in Urban Form, Texas. Simply put, this is one of the best books about Austin, Texas.
The book is a publication of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, Placemaking Studio, and Black + Vernooy. Inside you will find 150 pages of incredible stories about, and history of, urbanism in Austin. Contributors include Sinclair Black, former Austin Mayor Will Wynn, Katherine Gregor, Larry Warshaw, Cid Galindo, Senator Kirk Watson, amongst others.
One of my favorite articles is by Kent Butler and Frederick Steiner, The Green Heart of Texas. They provide us with a history of the Edwards Plateau and geological uniqueness of Central Texas’s Balcones Fault Zone that separates the Hill Country from the Blackland Prairie.
This is a must have book for anyone that is interested in pedestrian friendly sustainable growth in Austin, Texas. It would make a great gift for friend, family, or client.
The book can be purchased on Amazon for $30.00. OR, drumroll … … … I’m excited to announce that Downtown Austin Blog has been given 15 30 50 100 books to disseminate to DAB readers for $9.99 + shipping!
Proceeds go directly to CNU Austin (Central Texas). Use the button below to order yours now!
The Shore Condos Closeout
Perhaps in light of the upcoming Sabine auction, The Shore Condos is aggressively working to closeout their sales program. We just received a note from sales office: eight units remain and discounts range from 10-25% off of original asking prices. A large 1bd + study on the 18th floor can be purchased for $243,750. This same unit would have been offered at $325,000 in late 2008.
A pdf of the remaining units and pricing can be downloaded here.
DAB readers will recall that 2009 was a great year for the Shore, as they quietly discounted and sold nearly 75 units over this past summer. In fact, in November, we closed on our new space at the Shore [we’ve leased our beloved 1bd at the Sabine]. The construction quality is outstanding, and the proximity to Rainey Street and the trail cannot be beat.
Amazing Photo Of Downtown Austin At Night
This photo wast taken and posted by Hairysun at SkyscraperPage. It’s really an amazing theme and is something completely new. I think the moonlight was poking through the clouds, but from this angle it also looks as if the Austonian’s “beacon” is breaking through the the low cloud base – very Gothamish. Vantage point is Butler Park. Cool! 🙂
Shoal Creek Walk Concept
Schlosser Development is proposing a new mixed-use complex in the parking lot to the east of the downtown Austin Whole Foods. The following renderings and description were recently submitted to the City of Austin Design Commission and will be presented on Monday, December 14th. The status is currently conceptual.
The Shoal Creek Walk, a proposed development project from Schlosser Development, will be a true mixed-use building complex located at the corner of West Sixth and Bowie Streets in downtown Austin, Texas. The project will closely conform to the constraints of the site which include a capital view corridor over approximately one half of the property and the Shoal Creek floodplain elevation.
These site limitations create a specific and very limited area where building improvements can be made on the site, by restricting both the building height and the overall footprint of any buildings on the site. Within those limitations, two buildings will be situated along Bowie Street, as the eastern portion of the site is within the floodplain. The high-rise building, at 350′ tall, will be located on the north portion of the property with a total of approximately 490,000 sq. ft. of office, retail and residential uses. The low-rise building will be situated at the corner of West Fifth and Bowie Streets, with primarily offices above the first level retail component for a total of about 100,000 sq. ft.
The two buildings together will provide more than 450,000 sq. ft. of office space, which is of a size able to attract a major employer and will likely be built in phases, to allow accommodation of a variety of tenant sizes. This flexibility will greatly enhance the feasibility of the project moving forward. The larger building will also have a residential component of about 90 units located above the office in what will be a narrower, residential footprint. The residential component adds to the feasibility of the larger building and is consistent with the downtown plan preference for vertically integrated structures.
The parking will be entirely within structured parking garages, both above and below grade, possibly with several surface ADA and drop-off parking adjacent to the building. Materials for the building will be of durable quality and wi ll be consistent with the architecture represented in the Market District.