Austin, Texas
Once a predominately single story, 1960’s era, surface-parked retail strip center on nine prime acres just south of downtown, Lamar Union is now a vibrant, vertical mixed-use community. Two of the iconic former tenants, The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and The Highball, were rejuvenated and expanded to anchor the new development, along with seven new restaurants, local retailers, 443 apartment units, and more than 1,300 structured parking spaces. The design team worked within the existing entitlements and in consultation with the neighborhood association to accommodate the developer’s required program, while addressing neighbors’ concerns regarding traffic, affordable housing, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity and water quality. The resulting development has been honored as a model for responsible urban redevelopment by the City of Austin, the Austin chapter of the Urban Land Institute and Texas Society of Architects.
In association with collaborating architect Michael Hsu Office of Architecture.