Architecture studio HKS has released plans for a supertall skyscraper to be built in Austin, Texas, which will be tallest building in the state. HKS Austin released plans for an 80-storey, 1,035-ft-tall (315 metres) skyscraper called Wilson Tower, which will be wrapped in a brise soleil.
Taking up a half-block location on 5th Street in downtown Austin, the tower will feature a raised pedestal that cantilevers over the ground-level walkways with concrete columns. The tower itself will rise from the podium level and will be relatively flat with expansive glazing on the broadside of the structure and a metal brise-soleil that wraps around the narrow sides, covering the rounded top.
According to the studio, the brise soleil is a specific response to the hot Texas summers. The shading will take on two different forms on the facade of the structure. On the podium, classic vertical louvres will be used to shade the interiors, while the tower itself will be covered in a blocky metal structure that changes its profile depending on the needs of the apartments.
The residential tower is being developed by Austin-based Wilson Capital and will have 450 apartments. "We believe it is important to add intentionally designed density along the city's transit corridors to accommodate the unprecedented level of population growth Austin is experiencing," said Wilson Capital founder Taylor Wilson.
Along with the variety of housing options, which span from studios to four-bedroom homes, the development will have amenities on the podium. These include a ground-floor restaurant, movie theatre, coworking spaces, and a fitness centre, and the top of the podium will be a pool deck.
Britt Design Group will be in charge of the interiors while Nudge Design will carry out the landscaping work on the property. A number of supertall skyscrapers have recently been announced in Austin, many vying for the title of Texas' tallest building. In September Kohn Pedersen Fox broke ground on Waterline, a 1,022 feet tall (312 metres) skyscraper on the river that runs through Austin.
