Austin, TX

As they currently exist, the buildings are beautiful and evocative but inaccessible. They are residual of their original industrial purpose but seemingly open to any number of contemporary uses. It was created for a very specific purpose which is no longer housed there, and now much of the fascination and beauty of the space has to do with experiencing the evidence of that past use - in the concrete walls and in the shape of the space itself. Our proposal is to maintain the existing interior experience by leaving it mostly as it is and focusing on the park and space just outside the building(s) - increasing public access inside, into, around, on top of, and in front of the building(s). The design will make the buildings safe for public use - and allow for many different types of uses for the building and site, while preserving their history and uniqueness.