Austin Convention Center edevelopment design TX, Large Texas building renewal images

Austin Convention Center Redevelopment in Texas

March 12, 2025

Architects: LMN and Page

Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Images: Courtesy LMN/Page Joint Venture

Austin Convention Center Redevelopment, USA

LMN and Page have been commissioned to design the new Austin Convention Center in Texas. The $1.6 billion redevelopment project will begin with the center’s closure in April, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for Austin. The redesigned facility, developed by the joint venture of LMN and Page, is set to reopen in 2028, ahead of the 2029 spring festival season, and will establish a new hub for community, business, and culture.

As the 11th largest city in the United States, Austin continues to thrive as one of the nation’s most innovative urban centers. The new convention center aims to break the mold of traditional designs, becoming an integrated addition to the city’s urban fabric. The project features a series of distinct blocks that enhance pedestrian and vehicular connectivity, fostering engagement with the dynamic downtown landscape. By relocating exhibit halls and loading docks below grade, the design partially restores the city grid and introduces outdoor event spaces that promote interaction with the surrounding streets.

Leonardo da Costa, Principal at LMN, comments: “We are honored to be working on the Austin Convention Center Redevelopment with Page and a diversity of talented consultants. This expansion will provide more space, more events, and more ways for the community to connect, infused with everything that makes Austin so special and unique. The vertical convention center will open the city grid, enhance pedestrian connections, and take advantage of Austin’s indoor-outdoor culture. Located at the crossroads between downtown and the nature around Waller Creek, the project represents a transformative opportunity for revitalizing and re-connecting Austin’s vibrant downtown core.”

The new center’s vertically-oriented design addresses the challenges posed by monolithic structures, breaking down the footprint into six segments that contribute to active street life and reestablish urban thoroughfares. Key features include an east-west Paseo along 2nd Street, connecting the urban core to Waller Creek, as well as relationships with nearby Waterloo Greenway and the continuation of 3rd Street, reinforcing connections between Austin’s urban and natural environments.

Josh Coleman, Principal at Page, comments: “With this unprecedented opportunity to reconnect such a large area of downtown, our aim is to create something at once familiar in the city’s fabric and history, informed by today’s uniquely Austin experience, yet unexpected, forward-thinking, and inspiring to both locals and visitors alike.”

Celebrating Austin’s identity as an arts and culture hub, the new convention center will provide 620,000 square feet of rentable space, including 70,000 square feet of outdoor event spaces across multiple levels. These areas are designed to embrace the city’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle, creating opportunities for events of all scales. Additionally, a $17.7 million investment in a public art program, will showcase works from ten local artists, weaving Austin’s vibrant arts scene into the fabric of the project.

The project also prioritizes sustainability, aiming to become the most eco-friendly convention center in the world. Targeting ILFI Zero Carbon certification and aligning with the Austin Climate Equity Plan, the facility will feature an all-electric kitchen and HVAC system powered by off-site renewable energy, positioning it to be the world’s first zero carbon convention center. The design will also incorporate salvaged materials, mass timber roof structures, and low-carbon concrete and steel to minimize the building’s embodied carbon footprint.

Situated at the crossroads of Austin’s past, present, and future, the new Austin Convention Center will not only enhance the city’s capabilities to host major events but also strengthen its role as a vibrant urban center, where connections to nature and culture take center stage. This project is dedicated to serving both visitors and residents, celebrating public life and the uniquely Austin experience.

Pamela Trevithick, Partner at LMN, comments: “We are proud to be a part of the team that is helping to establish Austin as the country’s next international destination for business, conventions and events. The city has a strong vision for the future and this project will help them continue attracting national and international events. The venue is designed to be a contemporary emblem for the future of urban meetings and events, contemplating how people interact in today’s world and creating a space where people can experience the culture of Austin’s distinctive urban core.”

Page is a full-service architecture, engineering, and design firm dedicated to advancing the world through performance-based design. The firm offers comprehensive services across diverse markets, including academia, advanced manufacturing, aviation, healthcare, government, multi-family, workplace, and more. At Page, performance-based design is more than a methodology—it’s the foundation of every project. The firm integrates innovative problem-solving and technical precision to deliver exceptional outcomes. With 1,500+ employees and offices in 20 cities, Page operates as an interdisciplinary team, adeptly navigating complex projects and optimizing every detail—from client collaboration to building functionality. The firm’s commitment to excellence has earned national AIA architecture and engineering awards, sustainability accolades, and international interior design honors.

LMN is the recipient of the 2016 AIA National Architecture Firm Award and is widely recognized for its design of projects that support smart, sustainable cities. The firm has successfully completed more than 1,000 projects across North America, including the double LEED Platinum Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, Canada; the Voxman Music Building at the University of Iowa in Iowa City; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas; Seattle Asian Art Museum in Seattle, Washington; and the Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal in Mukilteo, Washington. The firm’s ongoing dedication to communities at all scales is underscored by its design approach, creating environments that elevate the social experience.

Austin Convention Center Redevelopment in Texas, USA – Property Information

Architect: LMN / Page Joint Venture

In Association with: Jobe Corral Architects
Location: 500 E. 3rd Street, Austin, TX, 78701
Client: City of Austin.
Design Years: 2023-2026
Construction Years: 2025-2028
Major Building Materials: Brick, Stone, Metal Panel, Curtain Wall, and Mass Timber
Program: Exhibition Hall, Flex Hall, meeting rooms, ballroom, main lobby with registration hall, outdoor event space, and retail spaces
Site Area: 14.1475 acres (616,265 SFT)

Floor Area:
Gross Area: 1,437,569 SFT
Rentable Area: 620,000 SFT

Building Height: 103 FT

Number of Floors: 5 stories (2 levels below grade, 3 levels above grade).

Notable Sustainability Facts:
Targeting be the first ILFI Zero Carbon Convention Center in the world. This includes an efficient, all-electric HVAC system and kitchen, powered by off-site renewable energy. The project will also reduce embodied carbon, and the greenhouse gas pollution from construction materials, by salvaging and reusing several materials, advancing the marketplace for low-carbon concrete, green steel purchasing, and many other cost-effective low-carbon strategies.

General Contractor: JE Dunn / Turner Joint Venture

Structural Engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
In Association with: Tsen Leap IES

Civil Engineer: Garza

Landscape Architect: Ten Eyck
In Association with: Coleman and Associates
Co’Design

MEP: M-E Engineers
In Association with: CNG Guerra Encotech

Lighting Design: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design

Sustainability: Atelier Ten

Acoustic, AV & IT: M-E Engineers

Environmental Graphics: Studio Matthews
In Association with: Page

Cost Estimating: Vermeulens
Food Service: Transdesign Group
Life Safety: Howe Engineers
Vertical Transportation and Building Logistics: Lerch Bates
Accessibility: Contour Collective
Envelope: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Transportation: BOE Consulting Services
Mobility: Movitas

About LMN:
Since its founding in 1979, LMN – https://lmnarchitects.com/ has dedicated its practice to the health and vitality of communities of all scales. Internationally recognized for the planning and design of environments that elevate the social experience. The firm works across a diversity of project typologies, including higher education facilities, science and technology, civic and cultural projects, conference and convention centers, urban mixed-use and transportation.

LMN has successfully completed more than 1,000 projects across North America, including the double LEED Platinum Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, Canada; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas; Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion in Seattle, Washington and the Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal in Mukilteo, Washington. The firm’s ongoing dedication to communities at all scales is underscored by its design approach, creating environments that elevate the social experience.

Based in Seattle, Washington, the firm employs 115 talented professionals practicing architecture, interior design, and urban design. The quality of the work has been recognized with over 300 national and international design awards, including the prestigious 2016 National Architecture Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).