|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2008
Contact:
, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442
Austin City Council Selects Design Team for the New Central Library
 Austin, Texas (December 11, 2008) Today the Austin City Council selected a team to design the new Central Library located on the site of the Seaholm Substation plot at 704 W. Cesar Chavez Street. The chosen design team is Lake/Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott. In November 2006 voters approved to construct a new $90 million 250,000 square foot new Central library to replace the current 1979 John Henry Faulk Central Library which has 110,000 square feet. The City Council selected Lake/Flato Architects and Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott out of two other teams, Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects and Taniguchi with Holzman Moss and Page Southerland Page / Patkau Architects. The City of Austin will execute a contract with the selected design team and once complete the Austin Public Library in conjunction with the Library Commission and the Austin Public Library Foundation will hold a series of public design charrettes to get community input on what citizens of Austin would like to see in their new Central Library.
Below is an estimated timeline for the new Central Library project:
- May 2009 ~ Citizen/Stakeholder input meetings –Co-sponsored by Library Commission and Library Foundation
- June 2009 ~ Design phase begins
- Spring 2011 ~ Design development completed
- Winter 2011 ~ Construction begins
- Fall 2013 ~ Construction complete
- Spring/Summer 2014-Grand Opening
In tandem with the design and building phases the Austin Public Library Foundation will begin a capital and endowment campaign to raise additional funds for Central Library enhancements, as well as, to match funds from the City of Austin’s sale of the downtown Block 21 (future site of the Austin City Limits studio) to offset operational costs of the new Central Library.
About the Design Team
Lake/Flato
Established in 1984, Lake|Flato Architects has gained national recognition for architecture that is rooted to its place and successfully merges with the landscape.
In collaboration with our clients, Lake|Flato creates buildings that are tactile and modern, environmentally responsible and authentic, artful and crafted.
Lake|Flato has received wide critical acclaim. The American Institute of Architects selected Lake|Flato as the Firm of the Year in 2004. In 2006, Lake|Flato was the only firm to have two projects selected as Top Ten Green Projects by the AIA Committee on the Environment. A third was a 2007 Top Ten Green Project. In all, Lake|Flato's work has been recognized with 37 national awards (including the AIA's Honor Award in 1992, 1997, 1999 and 2007) and 51 state awards. For more information on this firm go to www.lakeflato.com.
Shepley Bulfinch (Library Consultant)
Shepley Bulfinch offers clients innovative design solutions in architecture, planning, and interior design. We give them an edge by drawing on the insights we have gained through our experience with leading academic, healthcare, research, and civic institutions. Together we develop design solutions to achieve our clients' visions and reflect economic, environmental, programmatic, technical and social concerns.
The firm was established in 1874 by Henry Hobson Richardson. "Richardsonian Romanesque", though now in the pantheon of architectural styles, was a dramatic break from the works of his contemporaries. We carry forward his vision of innovation and his legacy of design excellence. In doing so, we draw on our nationally recognized expertise in the design and construction of sustainable, energy-efficient buildings.
Shepley Bulfinch has been honored with countless awards for the firm's design excellence as well as our achievements in innovation, sustainability, and building envelope technology. For more information on this firm go to www.sbra.com .
###
|
