South by Southwest finally locked down a location for a prominent headquarters spot in downtown Austin. The 13-story tower is going up at 1400 Lavaca Street, in the heart of downtown, yet close enough to the Capital for some great views. In the past, SXSW offices have been small and strewn across varying Austin campuses, so this new tower will give them an increase in space as well as consolidate their groups. The 145,000 square foot building floor plan features a column-less structure. The top 3 floors will be owned by SXSW, for their offices and headquarters.
The 13th floor of the building is where you will find a building penthouse and rooftop garden with a patio deck, with amazing views of Austin’s nearby features. It will also feature rain gardens and a lounge area on the rooftop. This space is available to tenants for private events.
The tower is located off of the City bus route and bike trail, so tenants and guests may access it with ease. There will also be air-conditioned and security-guarded bike storage rooms for tenants, If buses and bikes aren’t quite your style, five stories of the building are a parking garage, with electric car-charging stations. The tower is also in a great location in downtown, so walk-ability should be a breeze for most downtown Austinites.
The remainder of the tower will be available for businesses, restaurants and retail, to lease. The building will have amenities like a coffee and snack bar in the lobby as well as a popular restaurant, both open to the public. The tower will also feature an onsite gym with spa-like locker rooms, and more.
The $41 million dollar tower is set to be very eco-friendly, in compliance with Universal Recycling Ordinance, hosting lots of plants on-site including a plaza raingarden, xeriscaping, limestone walkways, and equipped with lots of energy-efficient appliances. SXSW also hopes to expand its tech solutions and innovations, so the building will likely be very technologically-friendly and innovative as well. The tower will bring a new, trendy addition to the downtown Austin environment.