Austin 2020 Construction Monthly

campus close into the
center of town elevates the
awareness and integration of
the deaf community into the
larger community of urban
Austin. This new facility will
be completed in Fall 2021.
As for housing, the effort
to provide alternatives
to expensive downtown
condominium and
apartment buildings
has resulted in some
innovative opportunities
such as Accessory Dwelling
Units (ADUs) and more
unconventional options
such as co-living. ADUs
have become a major part
of Austin’s recent planning
and zoning conversations.
They offer an avenue to
densify all the close-in singlefamily
neighborhoods by
allowing additional, separate,
small houses to be added
to existing lots to provide
more affordable housing
options, or the ability to
provide separate quarters for
extended family, caregivers,
students or just people
who can live “small”. The
proposed re-write of the
Land Development Code
working its way through
the City Council further
encourages ADU’s as well
as a broader mix of “missing
middle” housing types such
as 4, 6, and 8-plex units
close to public transportation
corridors.
more innovative ways to
create affordable housing in
the core. Capitol Quarters,
a newly announced project
near the Capitol, will be
Austin’s first co-living
building. With 30 residential
units comprising 34,000
square feet, Capitol Quarters
is designed for 120 urbanites
who want to live light and
experience the city as their
living room. Fully furnished
bedrooms share common
spaces in groups of four
and have a whole-building
gathering space adjacent to
the roof deck overlooking
the Capitol. There is no car
storage because walking,
biking and the use of
scooters and shared or public
transportation get everyone
where they want to go.
More importantly, the coliving
model fosters a sense
of community, allowing the
newcomer to integrate into
the life of the city.
The unique sense of place
that permeates Austin is
worth protecting and building
upon. Those of us in the
building industry in Austin
have much to look forward
to in the future as we all can
contribute to shaping our city
and keeping it weird.
Al York and Michelle Rossomando, AIA are
both principals at McKinney York Architects
(mckinneyyork.com)
See their keynote presentation: Creating a
Dense and Vibrant Urban Core in Austin.
Thursday, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Finally, Austin is ripe for even
SPECIAL AUSTIN SHOW EDITION 2020 15