Woven Bowie Street Complex
Fall 2011 — Bowie St Complex, Austin, TX; 200,000 sf, retail, office, hotel, residential
While developing a more urban area near Whole Foods on Lamar, I became very interested in “reasons to stay.” While studying other successful public spaces in Austin, I saw that people inhabit spaces by both pausing and exploring the sites, creating a very personal experience. I aim to create the same possibilities here. There will be many opportunities to sit and pause, as well as wander. Visiting the complex should never become routine, but always open to exploration, new paths, and new views.
To encourage visitors to wander and take different paths instead of always taking the same one, there isn’t a singular directional line of circulation. There are also intermittent views of the sky while walking through the system. Circulation exists on several floor levels and with different levels of privacy. Green open space is also layered and spread throughout the site, available on every level, and accessible to every program.
The thesis of having “Reasons to Stay” is exemplified by the programs chosen for the site and how they interact physically as woven and interconnected masses. The programs are symbiotic and support not only each other but also other programs in the surrounding area. Intertwined buildlings, layered circulation, bountiful green space, and the chosen programs create a mixture of people inhabiting and moving through the complex.
