DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

Austin City Hall is 65 feet tall, with 4 stories above ground with 115,000 square feet of total space.

The parking garage is 45 feet deep, with 3 stories below ground and 750 parking spaces.

Two retail tenant spaces on the ground level occupy 4,000 square feet of City Hall.

In the downtown grid, City Hall is on Block 3, which is 1.75 acres in size.

Budget

The City of Austin’s budget for City Hall and garage hard and soft costs was $56.6 million and was funded through a combination of sources: ground lease proceeds from Computer Sciences Corp., General Fund revenues, bond proceeds and proceeds from the future sale or lease of the current City Hall.

Design Team

Antoine Predock

The design of Austin City Hall was created through a unique public-private partnership between the City of Austin and internationally-renowned architect, Antoine Predock, and respected Austin design firm, Cotera, Kolar, Negrete & Reed.

Antoine Predock is frequently called one of the top architects working in the United States. The New York Times noted that his buildings tell us "how it is possible for a piece of architecture to be deeply ingrained in the architectural traditions of a place, yet unlike anything we have seen before." Predock calls architecture "a fascinating journey toward the unexpected" and says that his architecture belongs as much to the land as to his own ideas.

During the architect selection process, Predock showed his ability to understand and connect with the many facets of the environment he would be working in when he talked about how City Hall "should have dignity and timelessness but should have the playfulness that Austin communicates to the world." Based in Albuquerque, N.M., Predock's architecture is known for its sensitivity to the environment of the Southwest, but he's also worked in other parts of the country and has won numerous national and international design awards. For more information, see www.predock.com.

The architectural firm of Cotera, Kolar, Negrete & Reed has been respected in Austin for decades and concentrate on projects that demonstrate social consciousness and represent the values of the partners. The 26-member firm provides services to the public sector, including local governments, school districts and universities, as well as to private sector projects such as low-income housing and downtown office buildings. The firm served as a design team member for the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as well as the Austin Convention Center.

Landscape Team

Joint venture partners, Eleanor McKinney and Carolyn Kelley, created a landscaping style that is uniquely Austin by integrating the plants and materials of its natural environment into the dynamic downtown area. The landscape architects are advocates of sustainable landscape design incorporating native and adapted plant materials and efficient irrigation.

Archeologist Team

Hicks & Company of Austin performed an archaeological survey of the area around City Hall before construction. The Austin History Center has a copy of their two volume report, entitled "Boarding houses, bar rooms and brothels: life in a vice-district: archeological investigations of a changing urban neighborhood in Austin, Texas."

Builder

The construction of Austin City Hall was managed by Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Austin. Founded in 1937 in Greeley, Colorado, Hensel Phelps opened its Austin branch in 1976. Other Austin projects include the Whole Foods Market at West Sixth Street, the Computer Sciences Corporation and Silicon Laboratories buildings that flank City Hall, Applied Materials Building 36 expansion, San Jacinto Residence Hall at the University of Texas at Austin and the Erwin Center renovation and expansion.

Of all the Hensel Phelps Construction Co. structures in Austin, the new City Hall definitely was the most unique and likely the company's most challenging. Unlike most buildings, Austin City Hall has few 90-degree angles.

This Austin landmark's design plus its building materials posed a definite challenge. "There are unique materials you don't see on other jobs, such as copper," said Brad Winans, Project Manager for Hensel Phelps' southwest district. "It's not an everyday building material."

The roof is standing-seam copper and the top two floors of the four-story building feature copper-clad panels. Workers who installed the custom-made 12-inch-wide panels had to wear gloves to prevent denting or staining of the copper.

Then there's the Lueders limestone, a rough, randomly cut light brown stone, which covers the bottom two floors. Working on the masonry was like piecing together an intricate jigsaw puzzle.

"We have places where the Lueders has to match copper and that has to match glass. Making it all clean and looking good, that's been a challenge…and throw into that the fact that the building is not square," Winans said. "I've never worked on anything like this before and probably never will. We have a lot of pride in this job because it's unique and it's a centerpiece."

Winans believes the City Hall is a good fit for Austin because Austin is so unique "and there's that keep Austin weird thing. Antoine (Predock, the architect), took parts of Austin and incorporated them into this building. There's meaning to everything he does. Whether you like it or not, it will create commentary."

Demolition
On June 7, 2000 the Municipal Annex building on the site was demolished. Longtime City employee Tracy Watson took the first crack at the walls with a sledgehammer on behalf of all City employees who were assigned to the building. Mayor Kirk Watson signaled the wrecking crew. The demolition project focused on salvage reclamation and reuse of materials to divert as much waste as possible from the landfill.

Excavation
The excavation phase began in May 2001 and took nine months to excavate the site 45 feet down.

Construction
In February 2002, a 167-foot tower crane was installed and the garage construction began and was completed in six months. The building construction phase immediately followed.

On December 2, 2003, Mayor Will Wynn, City Manager Toby Hammett Futrell and members of the design and construction team marked the "topping out" of the new Austin City Hall and Public Plaza which is a traditional ceremony held when construction reaches the highest point of the structure.

Construction of the building and plaza was completed in November 2004.

Opening
The community grand opening celebration and dedication ceremony were held on Nov. 20, 2004 and featured live music performances by the Cornell Hurd Band, the Nash Hernandez Orchestra, W.C. Clark and the Malford Milligan Band.

The building was occupied and opened for business in December 2004. The City of Austin marked the occasion of the first City Council session in the new City Hall on Jan. 13, 2005, with a special blessing, live music by Ray Benson, a performance by Esther’s Follies comedy troupe and the burying of a time capsule.

Construction Photos

Excavation; CSC buildings almost complete.

Crane in place; View of old Palmer Center across the lake.

Garage construction

Building construction at ground level; AMLI apartments
and Frost Tower under construction in the background.

First floor taking shape.

Stinger support; 2nd Street retail almost complete.

Tree in place signifying the structure is topped out.

Starting on the outside; View of Block 21 lot.