Austin Energy Headquarters

Size: 275,000 GSF
Owner: City of Austin

Designed to meet certification requirements for U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum rating, Austin Energy Green Building Program five-star rating, and International WELL Building Institute certification. In addition to providing flexible workspace for 1,000 employees of the energy utility, the 4-story office building included carefully detailed, exposed structural steel framing for a monumental rooftop solar canopy to provide shade and reduce heat gain, while generating electrical energy and standing as a prominent physical representation of Austin Energy’s commitment to provide 65% of its customers’ electricity demand through renewable power generation.

Engineering for the cast-in-place concrete building structure included innovative strategies for several dramatic cantilevers and exceptional spans at floor plates to provide additional shading of façade elements and further reduce heat gain to the building, as well as to facilitate passive ventilation of a central, open courtyard.