The Texas Facilities Commission selected our team to lead the strategic transformation of the Texas Capitol Complex. We began our work with the 2016 Master Plan, then continued by serving as master architect and engineer for the Phase I redevelopment.
The comprehensive 40-block master plan reimagines Austin’s civic heart, establishing a state office and cultural hub with vibrant public spaces, shaded pedestrian streets, and stronger community connections. Three key design principles emerged, focusing around a cultural gateway and capitol mall, key corridors that reinforce strong pedestrian and vehicular connectors, and a historic precinct and garden district.
To consolidate 1.2 million square feet (111,484 square metres) of state offices from leased spaces across Austin, the plan introduces six new office buildings on underutilized sites. These shape the Capitol Mall and Historic Precinct while defining a dynamic urban character along 15th Street and MLK Jr. Boulevard.
The Capitol Mall is a four-block, tree-lined boulevard that hosts events, informal gatherings, and civic celebrations in the city’s core. Beneath it, an underground parking and infrastructure network supports the next generation of state offices and public spaces, providing a future-ready, connected, and resilient Capitol Complex. The new open space includes a cultural venue, cafes, a food truck area, a playground, interactive children’s play sculptures, a theater, and a plaza to support an outdoor event stage.
Our team worked on two new buildings. The George H.W. Bush State Office Building serves as a signature gateway, marking a bold entrance to the district, while the Barbara Jordan State Office Building, at the heart of the Capitol Mall, anchors the civic space with a strong architectural identity.
To maintain a unifying character for the Capitol Complex, we developed design guidelines for urban design, landscape architecture, architecture, monuments, and wayfinding and signage. We also developed detailed owner project requirements, setting quality benchmarks, energy efficiency goals, and life cycle cost standards to support the project's longevity and sustainability.
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