Carr Properties (“Carr”), a privately held real estate investment trust, partnered with Olson Kundig, a collaborative global design practice, to deliver a tremendous amenity transformation at 100 Congress, a 22-story, Class A, 1980s office tower in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas.
The newly revitalized 8,990-square-foot lobby celebrates Austin’s diverse cultural heritage in every design detail through art, textiles, furnishings, and materials. Drawing inspiration from Austin’s natural and cultural context, native plants activate the recessed garden at the public arrival pathway and seating area. At the parking garage entrance, customers are greeted by Frijoles, an expansive, soft yarn tapestry handcrafted by Mexican artist Caralarga.
In the lobby, a centrally located café, illuminated by a custom cantilevered lantern that mirrors its size and shape, serves as an anchor and welcoming focal point within the volumetric space. The space boasts ample column-free space with 25’-6” finished ceiling heights, and existing ceiling coves have been refinished in a dark, warm brown to create a more intimate atmosphere. Two seating areas, featuring custom banquettes, flank the café to provide views of the exterior garden. Texan and Mexican artworks are displayed throughout the lobby, while two wood-clad walls, now draped in a metal mesh scrim with warm backlighting, catch the attention of passersby.
In addition to the lobby redesign, Carr and Olson Kundig also transformed the fitness center and locker rooms. A former bank vault was opened to accommodate a monumental new stair, drawing natural light into the spa-like fitness center on the lower level. Here, the center balances intimacy and airiness with a backlit wood-slatted ceiling and muted green tiles in the locker rooms, imparting a sense of craft.
Kirsten Ring Murray, Design Principal at Olson Kundig, envisioned intimate experiences within the space, creating a central coffee bar in the center of the lobby as well as comfortable, functional seating groups with a connection to a garden outside. Here, native plants such as dwarf palmettos, leopard plants, red yuccas, river ferns, and more breathe life into the space, turning it into an urban oasis and a connection with nature—a rare gem in the heart of the city.
Situated on the corner of Congress Avenue and Cesar Chavez Street, 100 Congress sits between Austin’s two most sought-after thoroughfares. With a central location that overlooks Lady Bird Lake and puts Austin City Hall and ACL Live within walking distance, 100 Congress enables customers to embrace the life, energy, and entrepreneurial vibrancy of downtown Austin.
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