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69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

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🏗 Designing Austin’s future

Envisioning Austin’s architectural future with Gensler Austin

A couple standing on the balcony at the Moody Center, with the Austin skyline in the background.

The Moody Center is one of Gensler’s most recent projects in Downtown Austin. | Image by Ryan Conway, courtesy Gensler

The Domain Northside, the downtown Fairmont Hotel, and the Moody Center. What do they have in common? They were all designed by architecture firm Gensler.

The firm is working on several other projects with the potential to change the fabric of Central Austin, so we spoke with Co-Managing Directors Todd Runkle and Kirsten Cessna — who started the role last month — about the company’s vision.

The Fairmont Austin hotel, with a view of downtown behind it. — Gensler Austin designed the downtown Fairmont Austin hotel.
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Image by Connie Zhou, courtesy Gensler

What projects do you think have been the most seminal to your work in Austin?

Todd: I think the Green Water Treatment Plant redevelopment … I mean, that was the first urban master plan that we did, and that was the second project as an office we ever took on.

That was a turning point. I think that was probably the City of Austin’s first Class A office building in that period of time. It was transformational and really, I think it helped define what a Class A office building in Austin, Texas is. That also helped us grow our architectural practice in terms of commercial office buildings.

A rendering of the Springdale Green office building, a large structure with curved walls and large trees out front. — Gensler executives hope Springdale Green plays a role in connecting downtown and East Austin.
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Rendering courtesy Gensler

How would you say the focus of Gensler Austin has changed in recent years?

Todd: Our office building work is significantly slowed down and I think it will continue to slow down to a halt. Our lifestyle work, which includes sports and hospitality and multifamily, that’s really where our focus is, not just in Austin, but really as a firm.

Kirsten: When you take the lens of everything that we do, it either touches people at work, or in their play. It’s all about impacting their experiences. We have a very impactful opportunity as architects and designers to really influence the patrons of our surrounding cities. People really have memories of those experiences.

Click the button below to learn more about Gensler’s upcoming projects, which include the cap-and-stitch on I-35 and downtown’s Innovation District.

Change is gonna come

Events

Thursday, May 4

May the 4th be With Y’all | Thursday, May 4 | 6 p.m. | Central Machine Works, 4824 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin | Free | Celebrate “Star Wars” with trivia, photo booths, Jedi battles, live performances, and costume contests.
Stories on the Lawn: Reaching for the Stars | Thursday, May 4 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel St., Austin | $15 | Local storytellers will spin yarns related to “reaching for the stars” on “Star Wars” Day.
Come To The Dark Side Rave | Thursday, May 4 | 8-11:59 p.m. | Empire Control Room, 606 E. 7th St., Austin | Free | Party like it’s the Republic Era at this Thursday night rave.

Friday, May 5

Cinco de Mayo Rooftop Party | Friday, May 5 | 5-10 p.m. | Otopia Rooftop, 1901 San Antonio St., Austin | $10 | Sip on a specialty Cinco de Mayo cocktail and take in sunset views on this rooftop.
KUTX Rock the Park | Friday, May 5 | 6:45 p.m. | Mueller Lake Park, 4550 Mueller Blvd., Austin | Free | Tune in for DJ Jester the Filipino Fist and Urban Heat at this free, kid-friendly concert.

Saturday, May 6

Duck Camp Crawfish Derby | Saturday, May 6 | 2-6 p.m. | Duck Camp, 1301 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin | Free | Stop by for free crawfish and live music — and don’t forget your limited edition t-shirt.
Ascending Colour: An AGMC Concert | Saturday, May 6-Sunday, May 7 | Times vary | First Baptist Church of Austin, 901 Trinity St., Austin | $20-$45 | Listen to the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus perform works by people of color and LGBTQ+ communities.

Wednesday, May 10

CMSWire CONNECT Customer Experience Conference | Wednesday, May 10-Friday, May 12 | 9 a.m. | JW Marriott, 110 E 2nd St, Austin | $875-$1,575 | The leading customer experience conference in North America, featuring Ice-T, JP Morgan Chase and Charles Schwab executives, and more — use code ATXtoday for 40% off.*

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Eat

Food

🥩 This event is a smokeshow worth seeing

Presented by an ATXtoday Partner

From locally produced fruits and vegetables to heritage breed meats — there’s something for everyone at Heritage Fire | Photo provided by Heritage Fire

Get your appetite ready, Austin — Heritage Fire is coming Sunday, May 7 and bringing along 20+ top Austin chefs alongside local farmers, sommeliers, distillers, brewers + barkeeps for an unforgettable tasting experience.

Sink your teeth into heritage breed beef, pork, fish, and rabbit and enjoy locally produced fruits and vegetables, all prepared over open flames. After indulging in each dish, guests will vote for the “Best Bite of the Day,” crowning one chef as Austin’s “Heritage Hero.”

If you work up a thirst after all those delish dishes, they’ve got you covered. The all-inclusive tasting experience features a variety of wines, craft cocktails, and beers.*

Snag tickets

News Notes

Announced

Add one more feather to Willie’s cap — er, bandanna. Willie Nelson will be inducted into the 2023 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, alongside Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, and four other artists. The ceremony will take place in New York City on Friday, Nov. 3. (Austin American-Statesman)
Gruene Hall, New Braunfels’ 145-year-old dance hall, has been nominated by the Academy of Country Music for Best Club of the Year. The winning honky tonk will be honored in a ceremony this August in Nashville. (CultureMap Austin)

Community

Austin Public Library launched a new Enhanced Library Card program this week. The card is available for any resident 18+ and can act as a form of photo ID for several local agencies. Learn how to get yours.

Biz

IBM Corp. will move into a new development in The Domain, the company announced yesterday. The office space, which will reside in two 14-story towers, is expected to be completed in 2027 and span 320,000 sqft. (Austin Business Journal)

Edu

Austin Community College will launch a new bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity this fall. The program is set to enroll as many as 60 students, and set up participants for advanced career roles. (Austin Business Journal)

Opening

A new Jo’s Coffee location will open in south Austin on Monday, May 8. The coffee shop at 5532 Menchaca Rd. will feature a drive thru and offer free cold brews + drip coffee on opening day. (Austin Chronicle)

Eat

This gives a whole new meaning to playing with your food. A LEGO burger pop-up called Brick Burger is headed to Austin this December, featuring colorful burgers shaped into building blocks. (CultureMap Austin)

Drink

Hint is the water that actually makes us want to drink water. Shop from their top sellers + online exclusive flavors and get 45% off three cases for just $36. (That’s $1 per bottle plus free shipping.) Just use code 6AMCITY.*

Number

10 days. That’s how long you have until Mother’s Day. The good news? That gives you just enough time to order a gift from Quince — a brand offering high-end and sustainable products at affordable prices. Think: European linen shorts, silk slip dresses, cashmere crewnecks + Italian leather totes. Shop now.

Entertainment

Happy Birthday, Moody

5 milestones the Moody Center reached in its first year as an arena

The Moody Center's entrance, from outside

The Moody Center, Austin’s newest premier entertainment arena, will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony today. | Photo by ATXtoday

Let’s get Moody: Austin’s newest signature arena turned one year old last month.

Here’s a little year in review for the downtown stadium:

In February, the Moody Center was named the world’s Best New Concert Venue by Pollstar.
After more than two decades in Nashville, the CMT Music Awards moved to Austin to play in the Moody Center last month.
The arena also brought the first-ever San Antonio Spurs games to the Capital City.
In September, the Moody Center hosted a historic six-night residency with Harry Styles.
Since opening in April 2022, the arena has hosted other big-name acts including George Strait, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, Bruce Springsteen, and Kendrick Lamar.

We’re not done “Blessing the Mood” yet. Upcoming shows at the Moody Center include:

Sunday, May 14: The Cure
Sunday, June 4: Janet Jackson
Tuesday, June 6: Duran Duran
Friday, July 7: blink-182

See the full schedule

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
London

From the editor

One of our California colleagues (hey, SACtoday 👋) recently asked us what the big deal is about the Chili’s on 45th and Lamar.

In case you haven’t heard, this Chili’s is a cult favorite on Reddit, Twitter, Yelp, and Google reviews. The franchise location — one of roughly a dozen in the Austin area — is flooded with five-star reviews and has become the source of several memes about its high-quality margaritas and queso.

As a former UT student who loves queso and molten lava cake, I’ve dined at this Chili’s several times. But I want to hear your experiences. Do you have any stories from this famous Chili’s?

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