2024 Judges.

Shivani Langer, AIA, LEED BD+C, WELL AP
Perkins&Will

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Amanda Kaminsky, LEED AP, CPHT 
Consigli Construction Company

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Michele Van Hyfte, AIA, LEED AP
HOK

Jason Jewhurst, FAIA
Bruner/Cott Architects

Awardees.

PROJECT OF THE YEAR:
Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park
SUBMITTED BY : TEN EYCK LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS, INC.
OWNER : CITY OF AUSTIN
The Vision Plan for Pease Park highlighted four categories of goals: Preserve and enhance the natural environment; preserve and enhance the cultural environment; provide appropriate recreation; and provide or advocate for connective infrastructure to support use and access. As the first area of implementation of the plan, and as the recreational heart and cultural soul of Pease Park, Kingsbury Commons addresses these goals and sets a precedent for future development within the park.

The vision for Kingsbury Commons takes its inspiration from the site’s physical location, spanning the geologic formations of the Balcones fault along the bed of Shoal Creek. The juxtaposition of the dynamic flow of water against the rugged stone and wooded hillside are an inspiration for the material selection. The proposed buildings are straightforward rectangular forms made of steel and stone that relate to the stunning stone bluffs, split rocks, and creek bed. The structures also help bridge the site’s urban context with its historic elements.

Its setting within the larger Colorado River watershed drove a desire to manage stormwater on site and filter pollutants. An ecological study helped to identify a plan for invasive removals and reinvigorates the existing habitat to heal ecosystems to support wildlife and urban residents. As noted in the Pease Park Conservancy Vision Statement: “Pease Park will be known as an accessible urban green space for all, where land stewardship, environmental innovation and inclusive programming embrace the community's history and inspire its future.”

submission board

Hogg Memorial Auditorium - Major Renovation
SUBMITTED BY : JACOBS
OWNER : THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN UNIVERSITY UNIONS
UT’s initial vision was just to bring the HMA restroom count to code and ADA accessibility for the new restrooms. The design team’s resourceful technical solutions integrated necessary improvements in sustainable and historically appropriate ways to avoid the easy solution of simply adding more building. Initial design snowballed from a simple restroom addition to a full-blown renovation. With a full renovation focus, UT focused on enhancing student life and community events on campus. Earning the campus’ first LEED Platinum rating for a renovation, the project reflects the university's commitment to holistic sustainability.

HMA not only sets a new bar for sustainable green renovation, but the bigger impact is the social influence that it has for the campus and surrounding community. The project created a lot of firsts for the building, most importantly recognizing inclusion. ADA accessibility was not an evident feature for HMA until the 2023 completion date, as before, no wheelchair patrons had access to a dressing room or even to be on stage. In lieu of exterior concrete switchback ramps, design cut in a narrow wheelchair lift to provide an accessible route to the stage. Another example HMA demonstrates inclusion, every restroom within HMA is for All-Gender usage, so patrons have no worry for any prejudices/labels. HMA’s final vision to create a safe space for all was a forefront goal that was achieved.

SUBMISSION BOARD

Hotel Magdalena
SUBMITTED BY : LAKE | FLATO ARCHITECTS
OWNER : BUNKHOUSE GROUP
To conceptualize the vision for Hotel Magdalena, the design team held an integrated design and sustainability charrette during the initial design phase. In these early conversations, hotel ownership and the design team agreed the building structure and materials needed to be considered an integral component of the larger sustainability goals of reducing energy demand and conserving water. Therefore, reducing the embodied energy of the construction materials was a key priority. By selecting wood as the primary structural material and exposing the mass timber structural panels to the conditioned hotel rooms, the overall embodied energy for construction and finish material areas were greatly reduced.

An equally important design goal was to enhance the outdoor experience for guests, encouraging the use of common outdoor spaces and exterior walkways to foster a sense of community and encourage guests to spend time outdoors. A multi-story timber walkway structure with gapped DLT walkway panels outside of the hotel rooms required careful organizations of boards with spacers and was uniquely designed to accommodate the existing Oak heritage trees on the site, which blend in with the structure. Showcasing the mass timber panels and heavy timber structural components ensures that they become an integral component of the hotel experience. This, in turn, allows for conversations about sustainable structures and construction practices to be viewed and shared across a wider spectrum of visitors from around the country and across the world.

SUBMISSION BOARD

Montopolis Recreation and Community Center
SUBMITTED BY : MCKINNEY YORK ARCHITECTS
OWNER : CITY OF AUSTIN
The design team worked in concert with the City of Austin Public Works Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the Health and Human Services Department. The facility includes individual and group training areas, a gymnasium, an elevated jogging track, group exercise rooms and, most notably, an exercise room with a boxing ring – a sport of great importance to the Montopolis neighborhood for decades.

The site plan makes great effort to preserve the existing trees with particular emphasis on the protected trees and heritage trees surrounding the new building. To achieve this, the building is set back farther from the street than would be typical, staying out of the trees’ critical root zones. This setback also created a shaded public plaza which provide a venue for community events. The scale of the new building has been designed to complement and not overwhelm its neighborhood context. The community was surveyed early in the design process to identify the characteristics they would like to see the facility embody. Through its materiality and reserved integration into the site, the design displays the relaxed, unpretentious attitude the community sought, while special elements like the gym, the multipurpose rooms and the boxing center display a more adventurous and energetic form. Thanks to the robust engagement process, the neighborhood's vision for the project was maintained throughout design and construction, resulting in a durable, resilient, and efficient facility that not only serves its community, but also represents it.

SUBMISSION BOARD

Indeed Tower
SUBMITTED BY : PAGE
OWNER : KILROY REALTY CORPORATION
At the beginning of the project, the design team and owner defined the project’s core sustainability objectives around core concepts of community, ecosystems, water, energy, materials, and health.

• Create an urban plaza for the city
• Locate in strategic multi-modal location
• Responsibly manage rainwater onsite
• Reduce annual and peak energy
• Preserve and integrate the historic landmark
• Source healthy materials from Texas
• Design for daylight and well-being

These ideals served as the driving force behind the project design. The design and owner team translated the intentions into quantitative and qualitative returns through rigorous analysis, metrics, and benchmarking against green building standards. While the end product evolved through each design iteration, these core ideals remained the same. This focus on core sustainability principles from the beginning not only focused the team from beginning to end but assisted in delivering integrated solutions.

SUBMISSION BOARD

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REJI THOMAS ART