Part sculpture, Landscape and restroom. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects
29/06/2017.
[Austin - Texas] USA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
After Trail Foundation -a nonprofit that stewards Lady Bird Lake in Austin- surveyed the lake’s visitors about their wishes for the park, by and large the main request was updated facilities. From mid-February to mid-September 2016, a counter under the MoPac bridge recorded 942,000 users on foot and bicycle.
Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Detail. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Detail. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Access. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Interior view. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Interior view. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Interior view. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects. Photography © Whit Preston
Initial sketch. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects.
Rendering overview. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects.
Rendering. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects.
Rendering. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects.
Rendering. Lady Bird Loo, by Mell Lawrence Architects.
The project was commissioned to local architects from Mell Lawrence to make something that was several steps up from the dingy grime that pairs so frequently with publish restrooms. At the end the project was awarded with 2017 Small Project AIA Awards.
The Lady Bird Loo are used by the people on in a stretch of hike-and-bike trails paralleling the river that bisects the city. The project is part sculpture and part functional restroom, without special maintenance or finishes, vandal-resistant. The design team wanted spirited shelters scaled to the well treed riverside park space, with each having its own personality. The interiors give a sense of momentary pause and respite; with great ventilation and given a sense of safety for the occupant. with great light and views of trees and sky.
The result: two striking buildings, tucked near a copse. Requiring no special finishes or maintenance, the project is built entirely of steel and concrete left raw and unfinished. Changing sunlight animates the whole experience; it amplifies details and narrow edges, reemphasizes the faceted forms, darts light-slivers through intentional gaps between material, and creates useful shade and fun shadow patterns.
The Lady Bird Loo are used by the people on in a stretch of hike-and-bike trails paralleling the river that bisects the city. The project is part sculpture and part functional restroom, without special maintenance or finishes, vandal-resistant. The design team wanted spirited shelters scaled to the well treed riverside park space, with each having its own personality. The interiors give a sense of momentary pause and respite; with great ventilation and given a sense of safety for the occupant. with great light and views of trees and sky.
The result: two striking buildings, tucked near a copse. Requiring no special finishes or maintenance, the project is built entirely of steel and concrete left raw and unfinished. Changing sunlight animates the whole experience; it amplifies details and narrow edges, reemphasizes the faceted forms, darts light-slivers through intentional gaps between material, and creates useful shade and fun shadow patterns.
Description of project by Mell Lawrence Architects
Located along the running trail of Lady Bird Lake, the new Heron Creek Restroom facility responds to the unique conditions of its environment. The site is both field and forest, shaded by dappled light in the summer and graced with urban views through bare branches in the winter. Scaled to the surrounding landscape, the two structures are pulled apart and oriented to the axis of the solstice and the last length of Barton Creek across the lake.
The buildings are a simple composition of raw steel and concrete that will patina over time. Subtle shifts in geometry differentiate the structures and give them a sense of personality. Large steel plates suspended on a light frame form the tent like building shell. The open air construction is durable while maintaining a sense of playfulness. The textured board-form concrete accentuates the passage of shadows across its surface, while the steel frame inside draws the eye up towards openings in the roof that allow for a view of the tree canopy and sky.
More information
Architects
Mell Lawrence Architects
Design team
Mell Lawrence, FAIA; Hector Martell, AIA; Elizabeth Baird, AIA; Megan Mowry; Emily Weigand
Client
The Trail Foundation
Collaborators
Civil engineer.- Big Red Dog. Structural engineer.- Architectural Engineer's Collaborative. MEP engineer.- Kent Consulting Engineers. Accessibility specialist.- Deming Designs. Permit consultant.- Permit Partners. Client project manager.- Ross Anders. Lighting.- Sanford Electric
Builder, contractor
Balfour Beatty. Metal subcontractor: Sarabi Studio
Mell Lawrence Architects
Mell Lawrence, FAIA Principal. Mell studied architecture at the University of Texas in Austin. After working with Charles Moore and a partnership with Paul Lamb, Mell started his firm in 1991. Mell Lawrence Architects was voted 2001 AIA Austin Firm of the Year in recognition of its consistent excellence in design and contribution to creating a unique architecture. His work has been published extensively and been recognized with design awards at local, national, and state levels. In 2007, Mell was honored as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in Los Angeles. He hails from Houston.
Krista Whitson, AIA Associate. Krista Whitson, AIA, holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. She is a licensed architect. Before joining our office, she worked on several City of Austin civic projects. Her photography exhibit "Dance Halls of Central Texas" and catalog was supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. She hails from Indiana.
Dan Gruber, AIA LEED AP. Dan Gruber received his Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. He is a licensed architect and LEED AP. Originally from Colorado, Dan has practiced architecture in Austin for over fourteen years.
Hector Martell, AIA Associate LEED AP. Hector Martell holds a Master of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Art & Design from MIT. He is a licensed architect in Texas and California, and a LEED AP. He is focused on elegant, modern design, passionate about building systems, and is interested in all things design related. He is originally from San Antonio.
Erin Curtis. Erin Curtis studied business at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His early career path led him to retail management positions in Colorado and Texas. In 1986, Erin and a business partner created NUVO, a retail gift and accessory boutique highlighting contemporary design. By 1994 NUVO grew to include boutiques in Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas. Since retiring from retail in 1995, Erin has focused on pursuing interests in design and business management. He grew up on a ranch in Colorado.
Clare van Montfrans. Clare received her Master in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Previously, she worked for VMDO Architects in Charlottesville, Virginia and dwg. Landscape Architects in Austin, Texas. She is excited about public space, urban life, and biking everywhere. She spent her first 26 years in Virginia before Texas lured her away for graduate school.
Krista Whitson, AIA Associate. Krista Whitson, AIA, holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago. She is a licensed architect. Before joining our office, she worked on several City of Austin civic projects. Her photography exhibit "Dance Halls of Central Texas" and catalog was supported by a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. She hails from Indiana.
Dan Gruber, AIA LEED AP. Dan Gruber received his Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. He is a licensed architect and LEED AP. Originally from Colorado, Dan has practiced architecture in Austin for over fourteen years.
Hector Martell, AIA Associate LEED AP. Hector Martell holds a Master of Architecture degree from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Art & Design from MIT. He is a licensed architect in Texas and California, and a LEED AP. He is focused on elegant, modern design, passionate about building systems, and is interested in all things design related. He is originally from San Antonio.
Erin Curtis. Erin Curtis studied business at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His early career path led him to retail management positions in Colorado and Texas. In 1986, Erin and a business partner created NUVO, a retail gift and accessory boutique highlighting contemporary design. By 1994 NUVO grew to include boutiques in Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas. Since retiring from retail in 1995, Erin has focused on pursuing interests in design and business management. He grew up on a ranch in Colorado.
Clare van Montfrans. Clare received her Master in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Previously, she worked for VMDO Architects in Charlottesville, Virginia and dwg. Landscape Architects in Austin, Texas. She is excited about public space, urban life, and biking everywhere. She spent her first 26 years in Virginia before Texas lured her away for graduate school.
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