The Austonian is on the cover of the June/July 2010 issue of Texas Architect magazine, which focuses on extreme design around the Lone Star State.

The Austonian was featured in Austin Lifestyle Magazine. Read the full article below.

Austin isn't like the rest of Texas, and residents are proud of that. The city's official nickname, "The Live Music Capital of the World," is accurate. Its unofficial one, "Keep Austin Weird," is, too.

It's not weird for weirdness sake. Instead, the Texas capital has bucked the trend toward mass-market commercialization and intentionally fended off chain retailers. The city is a sea of independently owned stores and restaurants, from bicycle, music and cowboy-boot shops to secondhand boutiques and art galleries. The only "big box" retailer downtown is Whole Foods Market, which started here.

The music and arts scene fits with the hippie vibe, organic yogurt shops and tattoo parlors. But Austin also is Texas' fittest city. It's home to a cycling and triathlon community. The University of Texas, with more than 50,000 students, gives the city a college-town feel. Second-home owners love Austin for the good weather (despite the hot summers) and because it is in the middle of Texas' Hill Country, with its vineyards, charming small towns and major lakes.

Downtown, meanwhile, is booming. Former mayor Will Wynn made its revitalization his mission from 2003 to 2009.

"The skyline has changed dramatically," Wynn says. "Virtually every high-rise you can see, which is a lot, is brand-new, and almost all are residential. Ten years ago, there was one apartment building, and just 250 people lived in the downtown core. Now it is 13,000, and my goal is 25,000 by 2015." The skyline changes more this month when the 56-story Austonian, the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi, opens.

Revitalization fits with the city's green ethos. One goal is to reduce car use: Many downtown residents, including Wynn, walk to work on widened sidewalks.

Suburban lake towns are popular with second-home owners, too. "There is no shortage of lakes, and Austin is a 12-month outdoor activity spot," says Alan Gabriel of Keller Williams Realty. "You can be water skiing in a wetsuit on Christmas Day."

A look at three Austin neighborhoods

Link to story here.

By Jeff Collins - Orange County Register

Spectacular views stretch in all directions from the top of the Austonian tower, nearly 700 feet up.

To the north, there's the salmon-colored dome of the Texas state capitol. To the south, the blue waters of Lady Bird Lake. Out west, the Texas Hill Country rolls to the horizon like a carpet.

I toured the Austonion recently while attending a conference for real estate news writers in Austin. I wanted primarily to see how this spanking new Texas tower compares at a time when high-rise developers in Orange County are struggling to find buyers.

The Austonian is notable for one key feature: At 56 stories and 683 feet, it's the tallest residential skyscraper west of the Mississippi - including Los Angeles' 37-story 1100 Wilshire condo tower and Orange County's 25-story Essex Skyline apartments.

And to hear the project's developers tell it, its sales pace is notable as well, outselling one Orange County condo tower about 12 to one.

Lennar Corp., developer of the 14-story Astoria high rises near the 405 freeway and Jamboree Road, has sold just seven of its 248 condos in the six months since it reopened sales. That's less than 3%. Sales or resales also reportedly are dismal at Orange County's other five condo towers.

By comparison, the Austonian has sold 35% to 40% of its 178 condos - about 60 to 70 units - after a year of sales, developers say. This despite a starting price of $586,000, about three times Austin's median home price. The four 8,300-square-foot penthouses each take up an entire floor and range from $7.2 million to $8.4 million.

While the Austonian's sales pace is significantly higher than in O.C., it still could be better, said Scott Ziegler, who heads the architecture firm that designed the building.

"There's not a residential high rise in the country that's not having a hard time," Ziegler said.

The Austonian's relatively robust sales could be due in part to a healthier economy. The Texas capital is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation right now, with lower unemployment and a housing market that was spared the recession's worst impacts.

And the tower offers some of the most unique views in the state, with many mid-floor units standing higher than competitors' penthouses. It has 360-degree views and can be seen from four counties, said Austonian marketer Jordan Jeffus.

Ziegler noted further that the Austonian is a green-building project, with landscaping irrigated by captured rain water, recycled building waste and a host of energy- and water-saving features. By concentrating growth in downtown Austin, the project seeks to curtail urban sprawl as well.

"It's part of a growth strategy that's important to cities around the country," said Ziegler. "So people who live here would feel proud that they're doing what they can to provide a sustainable future."

WSL Designer Showhouse at The Austonian would like to thank our sponsors for their support of the first ever downtown Austin showhouse.

THE SUMMIT

Texas Home & Living

THE SKYLINE

Balfour Beatty

Independence Title Company

THE TOWER

Capform Incorporated

Harway Supply

Lasco

Majic 95.5

Milestone Metals, Inc.

Scavolini

Trainor Glass Company

Walker Engineering, Inc.

Waterworks

THE CITY

Ben Livingston-beneon

Central Transportation Systems

Clean Scapes, LP

Crystal Clear Pools & Spas

Eddie V's

Fleming Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Tamra & John Gorman

Northstar Fire Protection

Roaring Fork

Roy's

The Belmont

The Driskill

ThyssenKrupp Elevator

Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Crabhouse

THE TERRACE

Robert Albanese, The Austonian - Construction Mgr

Art+Artisans

Atlas Carpet

Suzanne Deal Booth & David G. Booth

CBM Engineers

CHP & Associates

Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP

Integrity Home Systems

Momark Development

Moreland Properties

Pinnacle Marble & Granite

Plant Interscapes

TBG Partners

Ziegler-Cooper Architects

THE BALCONY

Henry & Pamela Bell III

Hansen Architectural Systems, Inc.

Buddy & Ginny Jones

Joe & Teresa Long

Lauree & Jim Bob Moffett

The Sherrill Family Foundation

POOLSIDE

Barry & Dinah Barksdale

Michael & Julie Baselice

Bommarito Group

Doug & Margaret Danforth

Marion W. DeFord

David & Susan Douglas

Howard & Diane Falkenberg

Norma Gillingwater

Jim & Jo Green

Pat & Ed Harris

Mary Ann Heller

Van & Jeanne Hoisington

Mr. & Mrs. James K. Jaynes

Brenda Jones

Hollis & Bart Matheney

Morrison & Head, LP

Charles & Jan Roesslein

Eddie Safady

Glenda Smith, DDS

Mike & Stacy Toomey

Mr. & Mr. Sam A. Wilson

MARKETING SPONSORS

David Yurman

Dream Bed

Sub-Zero / Wolf

Fox 7 News

Austin, TX - It's the tallest building in Austin and before it opens in a few months, the Austonian is putting in safety measures, including defibrillators, for each floor.

The 57-story building will go through a series of safety inspections before opening.

Having defibrillators in the building is a city requirement, but management took it a step further by purchasing enough for each floor in case of an emergency.

Towering high above Downtown Austin is the nearly finished Austonian.

"It's a luxury high-rise condo project," said Bob Albanese, construction manager, The Austonian.

In case of emergency, it's won't take long to get to the bottom floor.

The Austonian has the fastest residential elevator in Austin. It takes roughly 40 seconds to go from the 56th floor to the first floor.

But even seconds can make a difference. Along with incredible views and endless amenities, you'll find one automated defilbrillator, or AED, on each floor.

"The idea is that if there's a circumstance on any floor with any home owner, the AED device is right here, it's easy to get to, it's accessable," Albanese said.

The Austonian recently spent more than $100,000 on the devices, 57 of them for the building's 178 units.

A defibrillator shocks the heart back into a normal rhythm. Cardiologist Dr. Frank Zidar said using one can mean the difference between life and death.

"Unfortunately most folks have sudden death and don't make it to the hospital," Dr. Zidar said.

And anyone can lean how to use it.

"There's prompts that literally tell you what to do, step by step, it's easy as 1 2 3," said Dr. Zidar.

In the Austonian, there's an AED right around the corner from every resident.

"If people know about these and use them, lives will be saved," Zidar said.

The Austonian also has two stairwells and the elevators are on a backup generator so they will work even if the power is out.

The building is scheduled to open in June.

Austin Business Journal - by Sandra Zaragoza

Among the questions remaining as downtown's most anticipated new residential projects are nearly ready for their well-heeled occupants to move in: What retail will occupy the ground-floor of Austin's ritzy new residential towers?

Last week, The Austonian offered the first to answer the question, albeit a partial answer. Austonian developers announced two independent restaurants by Austin-based La Corsha Restaurant Partners will open later this year, occupying about 5,800 square feet of the roughly 11,000 square feet of retail fronting Congress Avenue and Second Street. The Four Seasons, which also has about 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space fronting Cesar Chavez Street, is expected to make several tenant announcements of its own soon.

The developers of Block 21, which will be home to W Hotel and Residences and Austin City Limits in the Second Street District, said they have quietly begun marketing roughly 25,000 square feet of retail. Block 21 hopes to start announcing the project's retail lineup this summer.

Whether these projects will be able to attract the A+ tenants they want in an unfavorable retail climate remains to be seen. Still, people involved in leasing these projects - The Austonian, Four Seasons and Block 21 - are upbeat about downtown retail, especially as more residents move in.

Mixed-use projects in Austin have delivered varying degrees of success in a soft retail market, real estate experts said.

But the downtown location, newness and name recognition give these projects a sharp edge, they said.

Besides being in the tony 78701 ZIP code, these projects will give retailers access to a growing downtown residential population, steady daytime traffic, and convention and tourism business.

Even in a down economy, property owners are being selective about the retail they choose for these projects.

"There's definitely synergy between the ground floors and what's above. The ground floor really reflects the image of the building, but it also provides services for the [residents] above," said Eric DeJernett, a senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis. DeJernett is representing the Austonian, Four Season and various downtown buildings, including The Littlefield Building.

Retailers at Austonian are paying in the mid-$30s per square foot. By comparison, the average for general retail space in Austin is $20 to $30 per square foot, DeJernett said.

In general, retail in the Austin downtown core has experienced some turnover because of the down economy.

"I would say in the past six to nine months that we are seeing an increase in the spaces becoming available," DeJernett said." But at the same time, we are still seeing a strong demand for backfilling those spaces - more so than what we are seeing in the suburban markets."

The typical tenant mix for a high-end, mixed-use property includes restaurants, a salon, a spa - tenants that will serve residents and draw outside traffic, DeJernett said.

Beau Armstrong, CEO of Stratus Properties, said the retail strategy for Block 21 is to get a good balance of service-oriented retailers to lure daytime traffic and more entertainment-focused retailers for night-time action.

While upscale projects aren't immune to the economy and some downtown merchants have faltered, Armstrong believes Block 21's strength lies in the 250-room W Hotel.

"Because we have a hotel, there will be a transient base, and that's really good for retail," Armstrong said. "Once we get this open and going, it's really going to make the Second Street District work better."

While there is more interest in downtown mixed-use than there was three years ago, retailers are also showing more caution in a soft economy, DeJernett said.

Michele Gary, of the Weitzman Group's Austin office, agreed, saying interest in downtown mixed-use development continues to be strong, but there are challenges facing these projects related to higher finishing-out costs, parking and access.

There is a "need to familiarize prospective tenants with these differences compared to, say, leasing at an HEB shopping center," Gary said "It's an educational process, but once understood, it's agreed the benefits can far outweigh the initial challenges or unfamiliarity."

Gary said that while some retail components have struggled with gaining occupancy, "The unified goal is to create the perfect tenant mix, and sometimes you have to decline offers in order to do so. Several of my clients have made the decision to let certain spaces remain vacant, rather than lease to prospects that may not create the right mix."

Austin Business Journal

The partnership behind The Driskill Hotel restoration and Driskill Grill have planned two restaurants for the downtown Austonian luxury high rise.

The 178-unit luxury condominium building - which claims to be the tallest residential building in the Western U.S. - opens in June and the two new eateries are expected to open this fall.

The La Corsha Restaurant Partners is leading the new restaurants, reuniting Driskill developers Jeff Trigger, David Bull, Scott Walker and Jeff Rhein.

"These new restaurants will act as a double anchor and bring new vitality to two directions of a key intersection at Second and Congress," said Danny Roth, principal with Southwest Strategies Group, which represented the restaurants' owners. "It also shows how local concepts can step up and play a vital role in emerging projects in Austin."

The team is planning two distinct concepts for the building's ground floor, called the Congress and the Second at Congress. The Congress, which faces Congress Avenue, is described as "cutting-edge, chef-driven cuisine featuring ultra-premium seasonal ingredients," while the second street restaurant will be more "comfortable and inviting food and drink experience serving American regional cuisine."

Bull, which served as executive chef at the Driskill, will lead the kitchen for both new Austonian restaurants.

"Selection of local and regional restaurant talent was no coincidence," said David Mahn, vice president of Benchmark Development, developer of The Austonian. "Austin cuisine was put on the map by a small group of talented local chefs. We want to offer new, unique experiences in dining and entertainment."

Together the restaurants will occupy 5,880 interior square feet plus outdoor patio and terrace space. They join frozen yogurt shop BerryAustin, which is also opening on the ground floor.

By Mike Stutter

AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT WRITER

Former Driskill Grill chef David Bull said Friday that he plans to return to the downtown culinary scene in September with two restaurants at the Austonian.

Bull, who shaped the Driskill Grill into one of the city's best restaurants and competed on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," will oversee an upscale restaurant named Congress and a more casual spot called Second at Congress.

Both will be on the ground floor of the 56-story luxury condominium tower, which is scheduled to open in June at Second Street and Congress Avenue.

Bull will supervise both restaurants as part of La Corsha Restaurant Partners, an outgrowth of the hospitality group that manages the Stoneleigh Hotel and its Bolla restaurant in Dallas and the St. Anthony hotel in San Antonio.

Bull will continue to oversee food service at those hotels, but he'll be cooking in Austin.

"There's a very exciting scene happening downtown, and I can't wait to be a part of it," said Bull, who lives in Manor with his wife, Fawn, and their five children. "It's an accumulation of everything that I've learned over the past 15 years put into something that I can call my own."

La Corsha founder Jeff Trigger, who worked with Bull at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and the renovation of the Driskill Hotel, said the Austonian's location is ideal for Bull.

"Downtown Austin can support the types of food we're looking to do. It's a gateway to the Second Street District," he said.

La Corsha is also involved in the planned retail development at the former Seaholm Power Plant, which includes another restaurant project.

David Mahn, vice president of the Austonian's developer, Benchmark Development, said national chains and other restaurant groups were interested in the Austonian, but the company gravitated toward working with a local company.

"With (Trigger and Bull's) stature in the community and their experience - and frankly, all the awards that David Bull has received over the years - it was just a natural for us to hook up with them," Mahn said.

Rumor had it at one point that a restaurant was angling for the top floor of the Austonian, but that never went beyond the discussion stage, Mahn said.

"We really wanted the views, especially at the top of the building, to be preserved for our residents," he said.

The restaurants are being designed by Austin's STG Design, interior designer Amber Lewis of Dallas, and the construction company HHCC Inc. of Austin, which worked on the Driskill renovation.

Joining them on the Austonian's ground floor will be BerryAustin, the second location of a frozen-yogurt shop owned by Kathy Steele of Austin.

Steele said she hopes to open by late summer. The yogurt shop, which will be on Second Street, will incorporate bricks from a former blacksmith shop at the site.

Steele, who is married to La Corsha's Trigger, said jokingly that if nothing else, the new shop will allow her to see her husband more often.

msutter@statesman.com; 912-5902

On a late January night, the 56-story Austonian opened its doors for a final sneak peak before it prepares to receive tenants this summer.

Ears popped as crowded elevators ferried guests to the top floors of Austin's new tallest building before emptying them into curved rooms, where they pressed against the windows like people at an aquarium to take in the view.

There, too, was Scott Ziegler, the architect with snow-white hair whose Houston firm, Ziegler Cooper Architects, beat out national competitors for the job of designing a future downtown Austin landmark that would be seen from miles around.

For years, experts from different fields pored over the details of the $275 million project, which Ziegler compared to a symphony. And after re-tuning instruments and some offbeat starts, they collectively composed the Austonian sonata.

Looking at the building, said to be the tallest residential complex west of the Mississippi River, two things immediately jump out: its smooth aerodynamic shape and a whole lot of glass.

Behind those aesthetics lies a purpose.

When designing the building, Ziegler knew developers wanted it to represent urban, sustainable living and attract residents to downtown from their single-family homes.

"What do you offer that you can't have in a house?" Ziegler asked himself.

His answer: sweeping views.

The curved slope of the slender building maximizes those views, allowing for a near panorama from every room, excluding the kitchen and closets, said Terry Mitchell, president of Momark Development, who acted as a consultant on the Austonian.

Mitchell said he immediately recognized this when Ziegler submitted his model for consideration, amid other submissions that included a wire-covered building that "literally looked like a spaceship."

He also realized something else, which showed that his music and Ziegler's were in sync.

"We felt strongly it had to be a symmetrical design," Ziegler said. "It also had to look the same from every side, to be a seen from long, long away."

The development team agreed on this concept, Mitchell said, and in doing so sacrificed square footage - along with millions in extra revenue that a square design would have provided - to create a "timeless building" than could endure a shifting developmental landscape for many years.

Settling on Ziegler Cooper, the Austonian's symphony began taking the stage before breaking ground in 2007.

"The most intimidating fact of the whole thing, was 'How do you put 175 units on a third of city block and make it work'" Ziegler said.

It takes an intense amount of coordination to go from paper sketch to 3D models, Ziegler said, moving through layers of progress like "peeling an onion until it is right."

Besides Mitchell's team and Ziegler's firm, who compared their roles to those of conductor and maestro, the orchestra was filled out with other functions and trades, such as green energy, civil engineering, and mechanical, lighting and graphic designers.

"We brought in interior designers. That was like bringing in the brass section; they had the pop we wanted," Mitchell said. "Landscape architects are the strings; they create the peaceful atmosphere. You close you eyes and feel safe and private."

Immediately there were challenges. For example, buildings of monumental height have a tendency to sway. To counter that, the Austonian is topped with a hundred-thousand-gallon tank of enclosed fluid.

Austin's tallest building is almost finished, and the crane that has hovered above the Austonian for months started to come down Tuesday.

It will take about two weeks to disassemble the crane, which helped build the 56-story, 683-foot condominium tower at Congress Avenue and Second Street.

Workers finished exterior work on the tower last month.

Streetscape work is scheduled to begin this month, and in March, workers will finish lighting the glass crown. One of the three sections already has been illuminated.

In May, the Austonian will be the site of the Women's Symphony League of Austin's 2010 Symphony Designer Showhouse. In June, the first residents are expected to move in.

The Austonian's developers have not disclosed how many of the condominiums have been sold.

Downtown Austin is thriving, and when The Austonian opens in 2010, and citizens move in to its 178-plus condos, Austin will be closer to meeting the mayor's goal of having 25,000 residents living downtown.

Spanish developer Grupo Villar Mir and its Austin-based subsidiary, Benchmark Land Development, were ready to lay claim to downtown Austin, and a zoning change provided the opportunity. As part of Former Mayor Will Wynn's initiative, density requirements were modified, making the 56-story condo tower possible. "They basically changed the floor-area ratio [FAR], which is a ratio of the density amount of square footage you can place on a particular tract of land," explains Kurt T. Hull, senior principal, Ziegler Cooper Architects. "This [project] wouldn't have happened in Austin if they hadn't changed those requirements."

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

THE city's unofficial motto, "Keep Austin Weird," blares from bumper stickers on BMWs and jalopies alike, on T-shirts worn by joggers along Lady Bird Lake and in the windows of independently owned shops and restaurants. It's an exhortation for a city that clings to eccentricity, even in the face of rapid development - downtown Austin, for one, is being transformed with a fleet of high-rise condos and a W Hotel, scheduled to open late next year. But this funky college town, known for its liberal leanings and rich music scene, has little to worry about - at least as long as its openhearted citizens, with their colorful bungalows and tattoos, do their part to keep the city endearingly odd. As one local put it: "As long as Austinites keep decorating their bodies and cars, we're going to be fine."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Appearances can be deceiving.

Just 408 condos remain available for sale in Downtown Austin. Because of tight financing, no new projects are likely to go up for another four or five years.

The number of residents living downtown has doubled in the past decade to 8,000 people, but that growth will be slowing down.

Financing is the biggest hurdle. John McClellan of Supreme Lending said a developer would have to pony up enough money to choke a horse to secure a loan.

"There's not a lot of banks willing to loan money right now," said McClellan. "You may have to put up 50, 60, 70 percent, and on a $200 million project that's a lot of money."

Over the past five years, 60,000 new homes have been built in the greater Austin area. In this decade, some 2,000 condos and 2,000 apartments have been built downtown, but Goodwin Partners realtor Kevin Bown it will be awhile before anything new goes up.

"The most optimistic folks think maybe late next year there could be some construction financing, and then it takes two and a half years to break ground and build one of these," said Bown. "So we know on the early side it will be four years before we can bring any extra supply into downtown and we only have 408 units to last that four years."

The good news is a downtown condo owner now may see their value appreciate as the supply dwindles. But that owner would have to find a prospective buyer who could secure their own financing, and that might be tight.

Click here to watch this KXAN news report.

FROM SCRUFFY HONKY-TONKS TO SLICK BOUTIQUE HOTELS, AUSTIN WALKS THE LINE BETWEEN OLD SCHOOL AND NEW.

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Two years after work started on the Austonian, a flag was hoisted to the top of the 683-foot-tall tower Thursday, marking a milestone for the tallest building in Austin. Workers put in the last steel beam that will support a glass crown to be finished in December. The project is the tallest residential building west of Chicago, the builders say. Units are priced from about $500,000 to more than $8 million for a penthouse, with the first residents expected to start moving into their new digs in June.

Dominating the Austin skyline at 56 stories, the Austonian officially "tops out" on Thursday.

Hundreds of workers with construction company Balfour Beatty who've been working on the 683-foot high-rise will celebrate with a party Thursday afternoon. A 32-foot structural steel beam signed by the construction team will be hoisted by crane across Congress Avenue to the top of the building at 4:30 p.m. The beam is one of six that will support the building's ornamental glass crown.

Construction on the $250 million, 188-unit luxury condo tower began two years ago. Completion is scheduled for spring 2010.

Benchmark Development, the Austin-based subsidiary of Spain-based Grupo Villar Mir, is the developer of The Austonian. Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston designed the project.

Construction workers are celebrating atop the Austonian today, as they mark the topping out of the 56-story luxury condominiums, which at 683 feet is the tallest residential building in the United States outside of Chicago, Miami and New York City.

The Austonian became the city's tallest building in June.

Construction of the building at Congress Avenue and Second Street began on Sept. 17 two years ago. In May 2010, the Austin Women's Symphony League showcase will mark the opening of the Austonian, with residents moving into the building in June 2010.

The Austonian surpassed the 567-foot-tall 360 condominiums as the city's tallest building. By comparison, the San Antonio Tower of Americas is 622 feet in height; Dallas Reunion Tower is 560 feet; and, the Washington Monument is 555 feet, according to a news release.

Construction is nearing completion on Austin's tallest building, a luxury high rise at Second Street and Congress Avene in the heart of downtown.

"Bigger is better," senior project manager Bryan Embrey told KEYE TV. His crews today will put the final steel beam atop the 683-foot high structure known as the Austonian condominiums.

"It's the tallest residential tower west of the Mississippi. So it's a pretty significant project," Embrey said.

The Austonian features 188 units, with prices starting at just over $500,000.

"I think it'd be great to live there, but I don't think the average person in Austin can afford it," said Linsay Elliott, who works downtown.

The $200 million tower is 56 stories tall, or 683 feet. By comparison, the San Antonio Tower of Americas is 622 feet tall and Dallas Reunion Tower is 560 feet tall.

The tallest building in Austin, the Austonian, topped out on Thursday. Crews raised the final beam of the 59 story building. The high rise condominium building is not only the tallest building in Austin, but also the entire western United States.

Construction on the building began two years ago.

Crews held a party on Thursday to celebrate the end to this phase of construction. The building now stands at 700 feet tall.

The tallest building in Austin hit another milestone Thursday. The Austionian was "topped off" in a ceremony on the two year anniversary of when construction began.

Remember the day when the frost tower was the tallest building in Austin? The view from the Austonian makes it look small. At 683 feet it towers above all but five residential buildings in the nation. On Thursday, crews began the final step to the exterior.

A 4,500 pound steel beam draped in an American flag was lifted high above busy Congress Avenue. It is one of six beams that will form a three story illuminated glass crown on top. People walking by couldn't help but stop and stare.

"I thought it was cool. It was pretty good to see it going up," Austinite Mark Wendel said.

Senior project manager Bryan Embrey said this marks the beginning of the end.

"The structure is topped out. We're at the top of the structure now and that's part of what we're trying to celebrate today. We'll button up the glass here in the next month or so," Embrey said.

Now the focus moves to finishing up the interiors of the condos. We got a sneak peak of a finished model back in July. Realtors call this uber luxury. 40 of the 178 units are priced at over $2 million. Part of that price tag is the view. From the 51st floor you can clearly see the capital and the UT stadium.

"Former Mayor Will Wynn had a vision of bringing 25,000 people to Downtown Austin and this was the start of that journey. We're excited to be a part of the job," Embrey said.

The move in date is June of next year. It will have to compete with the W and the Four Seasons' condo building. Both report they are half sold. We don't know how many at the Austonian have sold. The company says they don't release that information.

Enjoy the photos here!

Click here for the video.

There's a new tall building in downtown Austin. Located in the heart of downtown Austin at 2nd Street and Congress, the Austonian has changed the downtown skyline.

Wednesday, construction manager Bob Albanese took KVUE photojournalist Doug Naugle and Reporter Steve Alberts on a tour of the tower -- 51 floors up, 571 feet above the ground.

They rode in two outside elevators, and climbed up stairs and ladders to reach to top floor. At the 48th floor, the elevation is 540 feet high.

"What is interesting about that is the Frost Bank Tower to the peak is 515 (feet), so we are about a floor and a half above the Frost Bank Tower," said Albanese.

There are still 140 feet to go, making it the tallest residential building in the western United States.

The Austonian officially became the tallest building in Austin on Monday when workers completed the top floor, surpassing the Austin 360 condominiums.

What about the view?

"Well based on the size of those buildings and the height of the structures, that is not Buda, Kyle or San Marcos. I guess I'll leave it at that," said Albanese.

Every condo will have a view, but it comes with a price tag. The condos cost anywhere from half a million dollars for a 1,221 square foot unit to more than $8 million for a condo with 8,390 square feet.

Construction crews are building a floor a week. When the building is finished in June 2010, it will have 56 stories and stand 683 feet tall

Downtown tower takes skyline to new heights

Thursday, July 02, 2009

What's it like 571 feet above Austin? For one thing, it's really quiet; traffic noise is reduced to a hum. It's also cooler and breezier than on the steamy street below.

Those were the conditions Wednesday on the 51st floor of the Austonian, the downtown condominium tower under construction at Congress Avenue and Second Street.

Although the building isn't finished, at its current height it has surpassed the nearby 360 condominiums and is now the tallest building in Austin.

The sightline stretches about 40 or 50 miles, offering views of a concrete plant in Kyle and beyond.

All of Austin's landmarks are visible from the 51st floor, which will become a $7.2 million penthouse with balconies on all four sides: the red roofs of St. Edward's University, the University of Texas Tower and the Capitol shining in the late-afternoon sunlight.

When it's completed, the Austonian will have 56 occupied stories and will reach 683 feet.

"That'll be the tallest spot in Austin for the next 100 years, I think," said Bob Albanese , the construction manager.

Another project, the Four Seasons Residences, will open early next year, followed by the Austonian in June. The first units of the W Austin Hotel and Condominiums are expected to be available at the end of 2010.

- Tim Eaton

Click here for more on this story.

Click Here for the Video

AUSTIN (KXAN ) - The new Austonian crept just past the Frost Bank tower Wednesday, stripping the bank of its title as the tallest building in Austin and claiming it for itself.

To look at the top of the Austonian on Second Street and Congress Avenue, you have to crank your head all the way back. At 51 floors, it has surpassed the height of the the Frost Bank building and the Austin 360 condos.

"That makes us the tallest building in Austin," said Terry Mithcell, marketing director for the Austonian. "When we finish, we'll be the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi."

Right now, much of the interior and amenities are just roughed out. From the top, the first thing visitors will notice are the views. However, these views come with a hefty price tag.

"The price ranges start in the upper 500's for a 1,200-square-foot unit, and the largest unit is just under 8,400 square feet for $8 million," said Mitchell.

If someone has $8 million, the penthouse is still available. While officials with the Austonian would not disclose how many units have been sold so far, they said there is a lot of interest.

"They are either trading down or selling, and they live in Austin, or are buying a second home for family or the university," said Mitchell.

Crews are building one floor per week, and when they are done, the Austonian will be 59 stories.

"We've used over 50,000 cubic yards of concrete, which is about 5,882 truck loads of concrete where we are today," said Mitchell.

And while it doesn't look close to finished now, residents will be living in the space this time next year.

"We will start moving residents in in June of next year, and it's on schedule," said Mitchell.

Accuse an Austin local of being weird and you are likely to receive a thank-you. Residents of the progressive Texas capital, which contrasts greatly from the rest of the state in both culture and lifestyle, have long celebrated their outsider status. Because the city is a major national hub for the technology industry, is recognized as the "Live Music Capital of the World," and contains the state's largest university, Austin attracts an eclectic population that has led to the city being dubbed the "Third Coast."

This dynamic attitude has made Austin one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. In the last decade alone, Austin has seen a nearly 35 percent population increase, drawing families and empty nesters alike. With this influx, prices in highly sought-after neighborhoods, such as waterfront property along Lake Austin, have more than doubled during that same time frame.

In the midst of an economic decline, second homes in Austin have become exceedingly attractive to buyers, as they provide all of the sophistication and amenities one would expect in a large metropolis, but without the exorbitant metropolitan price tag. And unlike New York or Los Angeles, Austin's smaller size seems to be working in its favor. Without the risk of an oversaturated market, property investments are poised to maintain their values, even during difficult times, says Eric Moreland of Moreland Properties, which handles sales of many of the city's high-end properties. "There are only so many choices on the upper end of the luxury market, so the demand remains high," Moreland says. As a result, the city's newest developments have introduced a level of refinement previously unseen in Austin.

The vast majority of Austin's second-home buyers have traditionally flocked to outlying rural areas and with good reason. Set amid central Texas' scenic Hill Country, the areas enjoy a mild year-round climate and provide easy access to picturesque lakes, rolling hills, and miles of dedicated hiking and biking trails. Discovery Land Company's Spanish Oaks, located 15 minutes outside of downtown Austin, has taken advantage of the region's outdoor appeal, pairing its new residential community with an exclusive golf club that features a course designed by Bobby Weed. Residents customize their homes on sites ranging from a half-acre to more than four acres and can enjoy resort-style amenities such as a spa and two restaurants. Another development, Skywater Over Horseshoe Bay, teamed up with the popular Horseshoe Bay Resort to create a luxury community complete with a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, a marina, and a private airport.

More recently, as undeveloped land becomes scarcer, increasing interest in vertical urban living has sparked the emergence of a vibrant downtown culture. Since the 2004 completion of Austin's first bona fide skyscraper, the 515-foot-tall Frost Bank Tower, the town-cum-city's skyline has undergone a massive face-lift, and new restaurants, boutiques, and high-rise condominiums are popping up in every last corner.

Upon next year's completion of the Austonian, which will reach a record-breaking 683 feet high, the city will claim the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi. The amenities-rich Austonian will feature one of the largest rooftop gardens in the state, complete with a private dog park, a spa, and a 75-foot pool. Also opening in 2010, the Michael Graves' designed Four Seasons Residences Town Lake will offer residents access to first-rate amenities at the nearby Four Seasons Hotel Austin, as well as unique in-house features such as an art gallery showcasing the work of local and national artists.

Environmental and urban sustainability is the top priority at The Austonian, a high-rise luxury condominium development in downtown Austin. Redefining the established notion of luxury in Austin real estate, The Austonian combines unparalleled amenities and services with sustainable, environmentally-friendly architecture and design.

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) March 8, 2009 -- Luxury home buyers are savvy about what it means to live a sustainable lifestyle. In addition to choosing hybrid cars and sustainable apparel, people who are in the market for new homes are focusing their real estate search in higher-density areas, and they are looking for designs incorporating green building principles. The Austonian, Austin's premier private residential real estate community, combines unparalleled amenities and services with a sustainable, environmentally-friendly design.

Scheduled to open in 2010, The Austonian stands alone in a luxury home class defined by beautiful architecture, deluxe amenities, panoramic views and excellence of service. At 56 stories, The Austonian will be the tallest residential high-rise condominium West of the Mississippi River. Residents will enjoy over 40,000 square feet of private amenity space that includes private spa treatment rooms, a fitness center with 360-degree views of the city, a billiards and game room, lap pool, dog park, outdoor kitchen, screening room, executive meeting room, bicycle storage and climate-controlled wine vault. The private amenities of the luxury residences are complemented by a staff dedicated to delivering the highest class of service. Life at The Austonian will be supported by a 24-hour staff of Austonian Assistants, a complimentary 24-hour valet, and select experts from Austin's food, fitness and beauty communities.

The Austonian will showcase how a luxurious lifestyle can support the living of an environmentally-conscious and sustainable life in one of America's most popular cities. Located in the heart of downtown Austin at 2nd Street and Congress Avenue, along major mass transit lines, this luxury home address is within a five minute walk to places of employment, retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. The building site itself occupies only one-third of a city block and, at 56 stories, offers luxurious high density living only blocks from the Texas State Capitol. A suburban residential community of 178 homes on one-acre lots requires at least 29 acres of asphalt and concrete. In contrast, The Austonian provides luxury homes for 178 families on less than three-quarters of an acre.

The location of this Austin real estate is complemented by an architectural design that supports energy and natural resource conservation. The Austonian is designed to allow for at least 75 percent of a unit's regularly occupied spaces to enjoy natural lighting and a view of the outdoors, resulting in fewer electrical lighting requirements. Furthermore, specially coated and insulated glass and a reflective roofing system provide year-round energy savings and comfort.

The Austonian is working with local green power provider Austin Energy to ensure that energy use is as efficient as possible. The building's heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, which includes climate control in each of the 178 units, is connected to the City of Austin chilled water system. Using chilled water for air conditioning in lieu of over 178 individual condensation units results in more efficient production of cool air and a lower overall impact on natural resources. In common spaces, sensors and dimming ballasts will reduce the amount of lighting used when they are unoccupied. And, low-flow toilets and lavatories in each unit will reduce the use of potable water by at least 30 percent compared to typical fixtures.

The Austonian is pursuing a four-star rating from the City of Austin Green Building Rating System, which is the equivalent to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold Rating. All construction materials used at The Austonian adhere to the strict VOC standards required of the LEED Green Building Rating System. These low-emitting materials achieve energy savings through reduced ventilation requirements and improve indoor air quality, and all come from sources.

Compared to a typical Hill Country community of 178 families living on one-acre suburban lots, The Austonian will save up to 35.6 million gallons of water each year in landscape watering alone. This is due, in part, to the fact that The Austonian occupies very little land, and in part to its unique rainwater capture system, which will provide for the irrigation of the 10th floor rooftop urban garden, further conserving the public water supply of the City of Austin.

For additional information about environmental and urban sustainability at The Austonian, please contact Cile Montgomery at Giant Media, 512.462.4666 or cmontgomery(@)giantmediallc.com.

About The Austonian

Located at the corner of 2nd and Congress in Austin, Texas, The Austonian will be the pinnacle of downtown luxury living when it opens in spring 2010. Slated to be the tallest building in downtown Austin and the tallest residential building West of the Mississippi River, The Austonian will offer panoramic views of Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. More than 40,000 square feet of private amenities are available to residents of The Austonian and include a 55th floor than can host parties from 15 to 150, a 56th floor dedicated to exercise and 10th-floor amenities ranging from poolside cabanas and kitchens to a 12-seat screening room.

The Austonian is the second North American luxury real estate project by Grupo Villar Mir, creators of the Mayakoba golf, hotel and residential resort located on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. For more information about The Austonian, please visit www.theaustonian.com. Keep up with the latest news, notes and views regarding The Austonian on the development's blog, www.theaustonianblog.com.

Urban Growth Equals Smart Growth

Click here for full story.

Developers of The Austonian are again warding off rumors of changes to the luxury condo's plans as the construction team prepares to remove its trailers and a crane.

Bob Albanese, construction manager for The Austonian, confirmed that the project's luffing crane, which transports items within a confined space, will be removed on Feb. 5 because it's no longer needed. The tower crane, which reaches higher floors, will remain.

Albanse also said the construction trailers at the base of the project will be removed on Feb. 13 as Balfour Beatty Construction, the project's contractor, moves its offices into a temporarily finished out space on the 7th floor of the parking garage.

Those changes are a routine part of the condo's construction, Albanese emphasized, and rumors that the project will stop short of its planned 56 stories are untrue, he said.

This isn't the first time the high-profile downtown condo project has been speculated as troubled. In August, Austonian developers held a news conference on the building's 10th floor, unveiling renderings and offering assurances that the 56-story tower will be completed as planned.

Still, the development team declined to say how many of the building's 188 units have been sold, citing company policy.

When it's completed in spring 2010, The Austonian will be the tallest skyscraper in Austin, roughly 170 feet taller than Frost Bank Tower.

Benchmark Development, the Austin-based subsidiary of Grupo Villar Mir, is the developer of The Austonian. Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston designed the project, and Balfour Beatty Construction is the contractor.

Read the preliminary online article that will also be in the February issue of Architectural Record.

Click this link: Architectural Record - The Austonian

Click on the attached .pdf to view the complete story.

Amid the growing concentration of out-of-town restaurant chains in the Second Street District, a group of young restaurateurs plan to tip the scales back to Austin by opening a locally owned restaurant and lounge.

The Icon Group is developing La Condesa, a Mexico City-inspired 130-seat eatery to be located at Second and Guadalupe streets, and Malverde, a stand-alone lounge that will sit above La Condesa. The Icon Group has teamed with Lamberts Downtown Barbeque chef-partner Larry McGuire and other local notables on the restaurant and bar. The restaurant is scheduled to open by February.

Jesse Herman, a partner in Icon Group, said La Condesa is his hospitality firm's first chef-driven restaurant. The group also owns and operates a more casual version of La Condesa at Victory Park in downtown Dallas, across from the American Airlines Center.

The group has tapped Houston native Rene Ortiz, who worked at the esteemed La Esquina restaurant in New York, to be La Condesa's head chef.

Ortiz's menu, which was still under development at press time, will have a "Continental and Modern Mexico" slant.

La Condesa's namesake is a hip Mexico City neighborhood that boasts gourmet eateries, hotels, trendy shops and art galleries.

Herman, who declined to specify how much The Icon Group is spending on the venue, said the restaurant is incorporating a historic beer vault that was part of the first J.P. Schneider Store - where Lamberts sits - into La Condesa's basement. Herman's architects have worked with the Texas Historical Commission to protect the limestone vault. The space will serve as a private dining room and storage for 80 premium tequilas.

La Condesa, which will be comparable in price to a downtown steak restaurant, will also boast a bar and outdoor dining.

Its sister lounge Malverde - named after Jesus Malverde, a folklore hero who bar owners in Mexico often pay tribute to with small shrines - will host DJs and live music. Lamberts Will Bridges will handle booking music for the venue.

Herman, who now lives in Austin, said he was attracted to the Second Street District because of its culinary community.

"There are a lot of great restaurateurs and people going down there. One of the first restaurants I fell in love with was Lamberts," Herman said.

While looking for a restaurant and lounge space, the 30-year-old Herman struck up a friendship with Larry McGuire, the 26-year-old chef-owner of Lamberts, an upscale barbecue eatery and lounge. Herman was so impressed by Lamberts that he enlisted McGuire in a management and consulting capacity. McGuire is hiring La Condesa's management staff and developing the restaurant's style of service. Once La Condesa opens, he will help with its day-to-day operations.

"Lamberts will remain my primary [focus], but I wanted to be involved because of the quality of the project and quality of the people involved," McGuire said.

McGuire, apparently unfazed by many predictions that higher-end restaurants will struggle during the recession, believes La Condesa will help fill a need for locally owned restaurants in the Second Street District. The district is sometimes derisively called "Little Dallas" because area restaurants, such as La Taverna, III Forks and Cantina Laredo, have Dallas ownership.

"As a small business owner, when I got involved in Second Street I thought it would have more local, more unique, more Keep-Austin-Weird sorts of places," McGuire said. "I want Second Street to be a place people go to eat the best and most interesting concepts, and I think La Condesa will be one of them."

In order to give La Condesa a true Austin feel, Herman has made a point of working with Austin vendors, including architect Michael Hsu, designer Joel Mozerksy, graphic design firm Butler Bros. and landscape architect D-Crain.

"For me, the greatest part of this project has been working with these artists and artisans," Herman said.

szaragoza@bizjournals.com | (512) 494-2522

Open this .pdf for a summary of the local buzz associated with our Halfway Party.

On Tuesday night I attended the Halfway Party thrown on the 19th floor of The Austonian, the swank condo going in at Congress Avenue and Second Street. The party was to celebrate that the building has reached 26 stories, and is, in other words, halfway up.

It was a fancy affair and it even had a woman playing the harp.

I should have asked her if she knew how to play "Get Out the Way, Ol' Dan Tucker." But I only had one beer so I didn't think of it 'til later.

You really had to want to get to this party to get to this party. Party goers dressed to the nines had to ride up the side of the building in a construction elevator that was basically a cage that jerked when it left the ground.

Actually, you had to ride in two of these cages. The first one clanked up the building to the 10th floor, then you got off and climbed onto another one that went to the 19th floor.

"If the first ride don't get you..." said a party goer in the elevator..."The second one will," said another party goer, finishing his sentence. But when you finally reached it to the party, it was worth the trip. Waiters roamed about handing out red and white wine. For horse doovers they had St. Andre triple cream, smoked salmon, brown butter lemon caper sauce, petits fours, and cocktail wienies.

I just made up the part about the cocktail wienies. Oh, and they ran out of wine glasses and they had to send somebody out for cups. This is why you should always bring your own flask.

But the big disappointment of the evening came when I found out from Terry Mitchell, a member of The Austonian's development team, that the condo might ditch the self-cleaning doggie john. The condo had planned to put this unique machine in the 10th floor urban garden area. It's a stainless steel plate, with a blade that scrapes away the poop into a sanitary system.

But after giving it some thought, and getting input from focus groups, Mitchell said, the dog poop machine might not happen.

"The concern was that the machine, the way it's designed, that dogs wouldn't use it," Mitchell said. "It's made out of stainless steel and I'm a little concerned what it would be like in a Texas summer." Yeah, you'd hate to have to use a spray can of Pam to get your poodle loose from a sheet of steel, especially when you've just paid $550,000 to $3.8 million for a condo.

This is not to say the dogs will have to go outside to be walked. Mitchell says that they're leaning toward putting in a synthetic lawn that drains on the 10th story garden area for the dogs to use. "Dogs are part of the family," Mitchell said. "So people need a place where people can take care of them. We're going to have a dog park. We just don't want to put in something the dogs won't use."

Mitchell said the need for an indoor dog walk became apparent when a buyer lady confronted him and asked him where she was supposed to walk her dog. He says he pointed out Town Lake was only a couple blocks away.

"She got in my face and said, 'Young man, at 11 o'clock at night, I'm not going to Town Lake. Now, where do I take my dog?' "

Under the heading of things that are good and bad, Julie Evans and the team at JEI Design Collection are moving. The bad news is that Evans hasn't yet found a new location, but the good news is that it won't stop them from having a sale. From now until the end of the year, all of the inventory is 50 percent off of the retail price (excluding Jan Barboglio merchandise). All sales are final. JEI Design Collection, 1009 W. Sixth St., 236-9070, www.jeidesign.com. .

In other news, I attended a party at the Austonian. The developers are celebrating now that the construction has reached the 28th floor (the full height is 56 floors). Though the space is still pretty raw (exposed concrete floors and walls and exposed ductwork), the gals at Giant Media decked out the 19th floor with candles and elegant holiday decor, such as vases filled with glitter-covered pears.

Sleek, white leather furniture from Lounge 22 (the event design and event furniture rental company that is the Austin arm of Ethos Design, the prestigious Los Angelos-and-New York-based event design firm) was scattered throughout the space.

Food stations with delicacies, such as roasted squash soup with truffle oil and black sea salt, by Occasions catering were scattered throughout the space. Members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra performed Christmas music, fitting since the Austonian will be the site of the Women's Symphony League 2010 showhouse, benefitting the symphony and it's children's educational programs.

The guest list included buyers, prospective buyers, the Austonian team and the media, as well as various people with the city. I also ran into interior designer Laura Britt of Laura Britt Design, who is working with the Austonian and it's buyers for some of the finish out.

Apart from a slightly harrowing ride in two construction elevators (I'm a little afraid of heights), the event was an elegant and clever way to keep people interested and excited about the Austonian. Unfortunately, it just made me more impatient for the completion, so that I can see some of the fabulously-designed spaces!

The $275 million Austonian, a luxury condo tower at Congress Avenue and Second Street that will be the city's tallest building when it rises to 56 stories - celebrated its halfway mark (the pouring of the 28th floor ) last night with a party on the 19th floor.

An invitation-only crowd of more than 400 was treated to spectacular views of the city from all directions, as they sipped wine and noshed on hors d'ouevres while members of the Austin Symphony played.

(And, voyeurs with a zoom lens also could have read the paperwork lying on people's desks in the 100 Congress office building directly south).

Though the space wasn't finished, the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows were the main attraction anyhow. Landscape architects for the project said the 683-foot tower, once completed in early 2010, will be visible from Buda.

Marshall and Jennifer Jones, who now live in the 5 Fifty Five luxury condos atop the Hilton Austin downtown, are contemplating purchasing in the Austonian.

"It's brilliantly designed, the amenities are second to none, and you cannot beat the location," Marshall Jones said.

They especially like the fact that the top two floors, which will include a private dining room, kitchen area, fitness club and other amenities, will be available for use by anyone in the building.

"We're doing our due diligence," Marshall Jones said, adding that he expects the couple could sell their current condo (purchased in March 2005) next year and make a profit.

Austonian units are priced from $573,000 to more than $7.2 million.

Meanwhile, Daniel Woodroffe and Eric Schultz with TBG Partners, the project's landscape architects, say they are designing a unique, street-level landscape feature.

"We've got great ideas for the streetscape of the project," said Woodroffe, a principal with TBG, Texas, largest landscape architecture firm whose projects include Town Lake Park and the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort near Bastrop.

The Austonian is being developed by Benchmark Development, which has been developing communities in Austin for nearly 20 years. The financial backer is Benchmark's parent, the Spanish company Grupo Villar Mir.

AUSTIN, Texas - Nov. 20, 2008 - The Austonian will be the exclusive site of the "2010 Symphony Designer Showhouse," an annual fundraising event of the Women's Symphony League of Austin (WSL), providing the public an up-close experience of high-rise luxury living in the heart of downtown, the two groups announced today.

Proceeds from the 2010 Symphony Designer Showhouse, which will feature three unique Austin residences outfitted by prominent local interior designers complemented by panoramic views of Austin and the surrounding Hill Country, will go to the Austin Symphony Orchestra and its music education programs for children.

Located at the corner of 2nd Street and Congress Avenue, The Austonian will open in early 2010. The 56-story luxury high-rise condominium project will be the tallest residential building in Austin and in the Western United States.

"Increasingly, Austinites are recognizing the desirability of downtown living and all that it offers. We see an opportunity to capture this fairly recent trend in living by hosting the 2010 Symphony Designer Showhouse at The Austonian," said Susan Douglas, WSL President. "With the best in modern conveniences, spectacular views, unparalleled shared amenities and green features, The Austonian is a luxury project that demonstrates why suburbanites are looking to downtown as a viable living option. We look forward to showcasing the work of Austin interior designers for the first time within the context of a truly urban living environment."

The Showhouse will take place on one floor of The Austonian's residential tower, which features views of the Texas State Capitol, Lady Bird Lake and the Hill Country. The Austonian was designed by Ziegler Cooper Architects of Houston. The 10th-floor outdoor space designed by TBG Partners is considered to be one of the largest sustainable urban landscaping projects in Texas.

"The Austonian will open in early 2010," said David Mahn, V.P. of Benchmark Development, the developer of the project. "Having been a sponsor of past Austin Symphony concerts, The Austonian team recognizes the Symphony's contribution to this great city. We mark The Austonian's opening with a commitment to the Women's Symphony League and Austin Symphony Orchestra's continued success."

About the Women's Symphony League:

Established in 1953, the Women's Symphony League of Austin provides service and financial support for the Austin Symphony Orchestra and its extensive music education programs, which reach over 90,000 youths each year. The WSL 2010 Symphony Designer Showhouse at The Austonian will bring together the work of three interior designers from the Central Texas area in a luxurious high rise setting. WSL events have won four national awards for fundraising and five national awards in the educational area from the American Symphony Orchestra League as well as many first place awards from the Texas Association of Symphony Orchestras.

About The Austonian:

Located at the corner of 2nd and Congress in Austin, Texas, The Austonian will be the pinnacle of downtown luxury living when it opens in early 2010. Slated to be the tallest building in downtown Austin and the tallest residential building West of the Mississippi, The Austonian will offer panoramic views of Austin and the surrounding Hill Country. More than 40,000 square feet of private amenities are available to residents of The Austonian and include a 55th floor that can host parties from 15 to 150, a 56th floor dedicated to exercise and 10th-floor amenities ranging from poolside cabanas and outdoor kitchens to a 12-seat screening room. For more information about The Austonian, please visit www.theaustonian.com. Keep up with the latest news, notes and views regarding The Austonian on the development's blog, www.theaustonianblog.com.

###

Contact:

Cile Montgomery

cmontgomery@giantmediallc.com

512-657-7483

Marla Bommarito-Crouch

marla@bommaritogroup.com

512-771-3760

More and more commercial developers are investing in sustainable urban oases to give their projects an edge.

In Austin, a collective focus on green building is giving local landscape architects the opportunity to pepper today's commercial projects with the latest in sustainability and outdoor design, whether it be a rooftop garden or stylish outdoor workspace.

Sustainable landscaping -- from native plants to energy-saving water irrigation systems -- is becoming more commonplace in Central Texas, says Daniel Woodroffe, principal in landscape architecture firm TBG Partners.

"It's definitely become the norm. Landscape architecture is a powerful cure for new and existing properties," Woodroffe says, referring to the functionality and aesthetics of landscaping.

In the last few years, the firm has been tapped to create rooftop gardens for the local Ronald McDonald House, Dell Children's Medical Center and The Austonian -- arguably the most high-profile sustainable landscaping project in Austin.

When the Austonian's residential tower is finished, the 17,000-square-foot rooftop garden will be the largest in Texas, boasting a 75-foot pool with fountains, a dog park, herb garden, fireplace and reflecting pool.

The rooftop garden is also a sustainable centerpiece, with native plants and an architectural-looking water management system that will enable the harvesting of rainwater. The garden will also give off a "heat island effect," meaning it will act as an antidote to the high temperatures created by downtown's hard services, Woodroffe says.

Woodroffe declined to say how much the Austonian project cost.

The price tag for stylish landscape architecture can be steep, many landscaping executives and their customers say, but the investment can pay off in increased property values and increased usable space. Also, landscape architects are quick to say they can devise creative solutions for almost any budget.

Dylan Robertson, principal of D-Crain, says that, despite the economic slowdown, his residential and commercial clients continue to see the revenue-generating potential in outdoor spaces. Robertson has designed outdoor environments for Hotel San Jose and Uchi, among others.

"Over the last couple of years in the commercial arena, we have seen landscaping become one of their highest priorities because it creates a real life usable space; it is usable real estate," he says.

While outdoor space has been historically underutilized in commercial settings, there has been a recent movement toward creating outdoor living spaces for employees, Robertson says.

For instance, D-Crain is working on creating such a space for a business park in Round Rock.

"This will not just be a place where employees go for a cigarette or lunch," Robertson says. "They will be truly able to work all afternoon, and not just have an office party outside, but a seminar."

Construction of The Austonian, Texas' tallest residential high rise building, is on schedule and will be completed at the pace of one floor per week, developers of The Austonian announced today. Under construction at 200 Congress in downtown Austin, the 56-story luxury high-rise condominium project is expected to be complete by early 2010.

"We know there has been a tremendous amount of speculation regarding the overall progress of downtown development and, specifically, The Austonian," said Terry Mitchell, Strategic Marketing Director for The Austonian. "We are very pleased to put an end to the speculation and rumors by announcing that we have completed construction of the 10-story base and have begun construction of the residential tower. Sales have exceeded expectations and this project is full-steam ahead."

At a press conference today, media were taken on a tour of the 10th floor of The Austonian, which, when finished, will serve as an urban garden complete with a 75-foot pool, fountains, private cabanas, two outdoor kitchens, two outdoor fireplaces, a secured dog park and wireless Internet. Attendees viewed the first glimpse of the residential tower as well as the spectacular view of the Capitol.

During construction of the tower, an estimated 500 cubic yards of concrete (about 55 truckloads) and 50 tons of structural steel will go into each level. When complete in 2010, the 56-story Austonian will be Texas? tallest residential high-rise and the tallest such building West of the Mississippi River.

Austin is the great exception among America's big cities when it comes to a decline in real estate prices, according to a report released today by Texas economist Dr. M. Ray Perryman.

In a report titled "No Time Like the Present: An Analysis of Issues Surrounding the Current Status of Downtown Housing in Austin" and commissioned by The Austonian, a 56-story luxury residential high-rise under construction in downtown Austin, Perryman asserts that Austin's downtown real estate market remains strong and projects that purchasing a home in downtown Austin is likely to be a wise investment.

"The Austin housing market, related to the rest of the country, is very strong," said Perryman, founder and president of The Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm headquartered in Waco. "And for those who invest now in a downtown residence, the appreciation and returns are likely to be very positive."

At a time when many UT students were likely to be in bed recovering from their Friday night adventures, Downtown construction workers were pouring the foundations of what will become one of Austin's tallest buildlings.