PROJECT OVERVIEW

The last thing the Austin Proper Hotel & Residences project team wanted was another all-glass building on the Austin, Tex., skyline. So they chose something with more character: a combination of precast concrete and glass. As a result, this new mixed-use building expresses the uniqueness of the city. The design team wanted to do something that expressed [Austin’s] hands-on, wear-and-tear nature.

Read more about this project in the Summer 2023 issue of Ascent.

PRECAST SOLUTION

Precast concrete was used for the Austin Proper project because it is a robust but flexible material that could be cast in several panel configurations to create alternating patterns on the building.

Architect

Handel Architects

Owner

The KOR Group

Contractor

Austin Commercial

Engineer

Thornton Tomasetti

Precast Concrete Producer

Redondo Manufacturing

PCI-Certified Erector

Derr & Isbell Construction

PCI-Certified Specialty Engineer

Texas Engineering Group

Key Project Attributes

• A key design challenge in using precast concrete panels for the exterior cladding was minimizing the number of unique panels requiring custom formwork.
• Architecturally, precast concrete allowed the project’s skin to express its sculptural and textural characteristics, providing more depth and variation.
• Panel installation took place while the building was going up, reducing construction time.

Project/Precast Scope

• The 32-story building includes a 244-room hotel with ballrooms, meeting rooms, a heated pool, a poolside restaurant, spa and treatment rooms, and a fitness facility. Above the hotel, floors 12 to 33 feature 99 private residences, with penthouse units on the top six floors.
• 321 panels totaled 36,970 square feet. Panels ranged from 10 to 16 ft tall and 10 to 18 ft long, with two- and three-window unit openings.
• The project’s precast concrete and window-wall systems helped it achieve LEED gold and Austin Energy Green Building two-star certifications.
• The concrete consisted of fine black and gray aggregate stones with a medium sandblast finish and integral colors.