United States Courthouse (Austin, Texas, 2012)

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Coordinates: 30°16′05″N 97°44′54″W / 30.2681°N 97.7484°W / 30.2681; -97.7484
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For Austin's previous federal courthouses, see United States Courthouse (Austin, Texas, 1936) and O. Henry Hall.
United States Courthouse
Viewed from the southeast
Austin is located in Texas
Austin
Austin
Location of the courthouse
Austin is located in the United States
Austin
Austin
Austin (the United States)
General information
Architectural styleModernist
Location510 W 5th St.
Austin, Texas 78701
Coordinates30°16′05″N 97°44′54″W / 30.2681°N 97.7484°W / 30.2681; -97.7484
GroundbreakingSeptember 2009
CompletedNovember 30, 2012
OpenedDecember 3, 2012 (2012-12-03)
Cost$123 million
OwnerGeneral Services Administration
Height135 feet (41 m)
Technical details
Floor count8
Floor area252,420 square feet (23,451 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firmMack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
Civil engineerPage Southerland Page
Main contractorWhite Construction Company
Awards and prizes2014 GSA Design Award[1]

The Austin United States Courthouse is a federal

United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and other federal judicial offices. It replaced the 1936 Austin U.S. Courthouse, which has since been transferred to Travis County
to hold county judicial space.

History

Austin's

computer processor design center for Intel, known locally after its abandonment as the "Intel Shell." The GSA demolished this structure in 2007 and indicated that it planned to begin building a new courthouse in 2009, to be completed in 2012.[4]

When the federal government enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in response to the then-ongoing Great Recession, some of the economic stimulus funds were allocated for the construction of the new Austin courthouse. Construction contractors broke ground in September 2009, with plans to complete the building in three years on a budget of $96 million (equivalent to $141 million in 2024);[5] in fact, with modest delays and cost overages, the construction lasted for three years and three months and ultimately cost $123 million (equivalent to $168 million in 2024). The new courthouse was opened to the public on December 3, 2012, at which point all federal courts and offices in the old building were transferred to the new facility.[2]

Design

The Austin U.S. Courthouse is an eight-story steel-and-concrete building

clad with cream-colored limestone. The courthouse has a modernist design, with a stark cubic form and geometric external details.[6] The facility was designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects and built by the White Construction Company,[3] with additional civil engineering by Page Southerland Page.[7]

Exterior

The courthouse complex occupies the full

pavers, wooden benches and shade trees in front of the courthouse's principal, eastern facade.[2] The main entrance is in the northeast corner at ground level.[3]

Interior

The building contains eight

wood paneling of warm-colored pecan and pervasive daylighting.[6] The courtrooms, jury chambers and public spaces hug the exterior walls, making use of the multi-story windows for light and external views. As much glass is used within the structure as in its external envelope, encouraging the diffusion of natural light into interior spaces and extending sight lines. The abundant use of glass and windows was meant to symbolically express the importance of transparency to the operation of the justice system and the public's confidence in it.[3]

The Austin Wall

The two-story ground-level lobby connects to an

Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich) and digital printing.[9]

Reception

In 2016, the building's architecture received an award from the Justice Facilities Review from the

Brutalism and Deconstructivism" and having “little aesthetic appeal.”[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Shepherd, Les (April 30, 2014). "20 Federal Buildings Honored as Nation's Top in Design and Architecture". GSABLOG. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Castillo, Juan (December 3, 2012). "New federal courthouse opens in Austin". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Connolly, Lawrence (May–June 2013). "Irreconcilable Differences Resolved". Texas Architect: 34–39. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Gregor, Katherine (February 23, 2007). "Farewell, Intel Shell: Gigantic Downtown symbol of bust-and-boom economy comes down". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "United States Courthouse – Austin, Texas". Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Rodrigues, Filipa; Dunbar, Wells (December 7, 2012). "Photos: Inside Downtown Austin's New Federal Courthouse". KUT. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "U.S. Courthouse - Austin". Page Southerland Page. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Perez, Hector (June 18, 2013). "Photos: The Three & a Half-Ton Stained Glass 'Austin Wall'". KUT. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  9. ^ Knapp, Alex (July 12, 2013). "Old And New Tech Combine In An Artistic Masterpiece". Forbes. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  10. ^ 2016 Justice Facilities Review (2016). "United States Courthouse, Austin, Texas". AIA. Retrieved February 7, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Pacheco, Antonio (2020-02-04). "New executive order could make classical architecture "the preferred and default style" for America's public buildings". Archinect. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  12. ^ McGuigan, Cathleen (February 4, 2020). "Will the White House order new federal architecture to be Classical?". Architectural Record. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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