Year: May - June 2020
Type: Competition
Location: Austin, Texas
Team: Raymond Castro, Christian Pena, Draven Pointer

Result: Shortlisted

This project was an entrant for the SKYHIVE 2020 Skyscraper Challenge, an international architectural competition which searches out for the latest and greatest designs for a high-rise structure. The team is composed of recent graduates from The University of Texas at Austin.

Austin, capitol of the proud state of Texas, holds the title of the “Live Music Capitol of the World.” It is home to various music and arts festivals like Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. People from all over the globe gather to experience these events and discover what is new in the world of entertainment and art. “Keep Austin Weird” is the unofficial slogan of Austin --but as the city continues to rapidly grow, how can it maintain this identity? 

Architecture is a representation of who we are as as people and what we value. The design is a hub for artists and creators, without whom, the city’s unique identity would not exist. The goal of the design was to create a tower that would not only represent the city’s culture, but also generate it. The tower is a culmination of living, production, and performance spaces that allows visionaries and innovators  to collaborate, create, and share.

The vibrant façade breathes new life into the Austin downtown area and its radiant light bestows personality to the city skyline. The façade bursts from the ground with a passionate bold red, and as it ascends, fades into the cool blue sky.

The building is composed of five main tiers, ascending from most public to most private. The masses “levitate” over one another allowing for public terraces and views of downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake. A twisting spiral staircase entrance leads to the grand auditorium at the base for immersive performances and exhibitions.

The building’s proximity to the existing Austin Convention Center and Waller Creek reinforces its role as a hub. Situated at the bend of the stream, the ground condition rejuvenates Waller Creek. Nature from the creek is pulled up by terraces rotating up the tower. Their sweeping forms guide visitors into a grand entrance and up the tower for performances and exhibitions, where creatives share music, film, theater, and more.

The building is made up of trusses which allow each mass to seemingly hover over one another and attach to the three primary cores that ground the structure. Each mass consists of pairs of trusses that work together in tension and compression to distribute gravity loads between the core and the foundation. The cores are also key decorative elements that guide the facade upwards and create terraced breaks in elevation, all while providing rigid torsional resistance.

Urban development has driven artists away from the central core of the city. A new Co-Living housing model brings artists back to downtown. The tower is made out of a series of community modules in which the design encourages creators from all fields  to collaborate. Each module is made of special studio units that allow for personal and joint work spaces, resulting in a perfect mix of privacy and sharing. This intermixing of art fields will provide inspiration and generate new ideas and creations.

As we move into the future, cities like Austin will encounter increasingly complex and difficult challenges. Such problems will require great and undiscovered innovations. Cultivating a culture of creativity and collaboration will not only help to generate a new and more inclusive city but will also allow us to combat any challenges we may confront.