“Runa offers a persistent, thoughtful, Owner centric design and project management process lead by Senior partners. They understand and maintain budgets without losing sight of the broader design and building aesthetics.
I’ve enjoyed working closely with the Runa team and look forward to future projects.”
Joe Llamas | President of Generational Commercial Properties
801 Barton Springs | architecture, interiors, ffe
Located along Barton Springs Road overlooking the iconic Lady Bird Lake and Downtown Austin, the site is in the center of cultural activities that define the City. The property, which once hosted a restaurant and later a surface parking lot, remained undeveloped for many years due to its location within the 100 year floodplain. Three restrictive covenants and a complex PUD added to the project’s challenges. These restrictions defined the design parameters used in creating 3D representations of the development constraints. The 3D models allowed for building form explorations that optimized the site while minimizing the influence on the floodplain. Sustainable design practices were a continuous focus helping to reduce the local environmental impact while pursuing LEED Silver and an AEGB 2 star rating. Incorporated into the design is an on site pedestrian path serving as a connector between the waterfront park, nearby amenities and the neighborhood.
The presence of water became a common theme on this project. The architectural language is derived from the systems of local overlapping streams, volumetrically expressed by three shifting volumes, like limestone riparian ledges. The upper building mass signifies a serene pool, like one might find at the top of a waterfall. The placid aesthetic of this programmatic volume relates to the office environment. The middle volume, hosting the garage, evokes water in vertical flow cascading over a limestone ledge. The lower volume of the building is the refreshing redirection of the cascade as it unites with the urban streetscape; splashing with activity, connectivity and promise.
Client: Generational Commercial Properties + HTZ Investments
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 217,000 gross square feet