Austin’s historic Rainey Street is welcoming a new neighbor. The Paseo, a 48-story mixed-used residential tower, will bring 557 apartments and two levels of retail to the popular Austin entertainment district, known for houses that have been converted into bungalow bars and restaurants. The Paseo’s groundbreaking took place in late February.
The project is located at an infill site on Rainey Street that was previously used as a food-truck lot. The development preserves and incorporates two historic bungalows that have operated as bars and now will serve as commercial space. Masonry brickwork on the building podium also connects the building with its neighborhood.
In addition to the Paseo’s street-facing retail and restaurants, the high-rise tower’s ground floor includes alcoves in the building’s street frontage to create social space and allow for sidewalk cafes. Between the main building and the bungalows, a landscaped garden and walkway connect Rainey Street to the riverfront park and trails.
The above-ground parking garage features a plant-lined masonry façade. A series of staggered setbacks atop the parking podium open up to an amenity deck providing views of the city and Lady Bird Lake. The project aims to reduce vehicle traffic loads on Rainey Street by moving vehicular access, loading, and pick-up away from the street.
Above the garage podium, the residential tower features patterned glass and protruding balconies intended to reflect the dynamic atmosphere of Rainey Street. The residential levels “are arranged in staggered tiers that seem to organically erode into the building mass,” according to a statement from the development’s architect, Pappageorge Haymes Partners.
The Paseo offers 10% onsite affordable housing and preserves most of the existing onsite trees. The project also includes 34,000 sf of building amenities.
The development is scheduled for completion in 2025.
On the Building Team:
Owner /developer: LV Collective
Architect: Pappageorge Haymes Partners
MEP engineer: Blum Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Structural engineer: DCI Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: JE Dunn Construction Company
Landscape Architect: TBG Partners
Related Stories
| Mar 17, 2014
Rem Koolhaas explains China's plans for its 'ghost cities'
China's goal, according to Koolhaas, is to de-incentivize migration into already overcrowded cities.
| Mar 13, 2014
Austria's tallest tower shimmers with striking 'folded façade' [slideshow]
The 58-story DC Tower 1 is the first of two high-rises designed by Dominique Perrault Architecture for Vienna's skyline.
| Mar 12, 2014
London grows up: 236 tall buildings to be added to skyline in coming decade, says think tank
The vast majority of high-rise projects in the works are residential towers, which could help tackle the city's housing crisis, according to a new report by New London Architecture.
| Mar 12, 2014
14 new ideas for doors and door hardware
From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.
| Feb 27, 2014
PocketCake lunches CPU designed for virtual reality simulations
The company's Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly is three times more powerful than the average high-performance computer and allows for up to eight people to experience a virtual reality simulation at the same time.
| Feb 20, 2014
5 myths about cross laminated timber
A CLT expert clears up several common misconceptions and myths surrounding the use of wood as a building material.
| Feb 14, 2014
Must see: Developer stacks shipping containers atop grain silos to create student housing tower
Mill Junction will house up to 370 students and is supported by 50-year-old grain silos.
| Feb 14, 2014
Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture
The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.
| Feb 5, 2014
7 towers that define the 'skinny skyscraper' boom [slideshow]
Recent advancements in structural design, combined with the loosening of density and zoning requirements, has opened the door for the so-called "superslim skyscraper."
| Feb 4, 2014
Must see: Student housing complex made with recycled shipping containers
Architect Christian Salvati's new structure is just the first step in bringing shipping container construction to New Haven, Conn.