Gensler Brings an "Austin Vibe" to SXSW's Curvy HQ
Lovers of live music in Austin, Texas, are familiar with South by Southwest (SXSW), the once-small festival that introduced the world to the city's eclectic music scene.
Since its first event more than 30 years ago, SXSW has taken on a life of its own, ballooning in size, reputation and scope. It is known as a premier conference and festival for creatives to learn, share and celebrate everything from music to interactive media and film.
SXSW is now prepping for its 33rd annual festival and conference to be held March 13-22, 2020—the first organized from its new space, which it occupied in June 2019. To accommodate its tremendous growth, SXSW moved employees scattered among several offices into the new space comprising 42,000 square feet in a 13-floor downtown Austin tower designed by New York-based lead architecture firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.
SXSW occupies the 11th and 12th floors, which offer sweeping, postcard views of downtown and the state capitol. The building's curved facade affirms the city's environmental activism and its “Keep Austin Weird" creative vibe. The serpentine curvature allowed Pei Cobb to save a grove of Live Oak trees on the building site while providing iconic views of the capitol.
SXSW tapped San Francisco-based Gensler to design its interiors, which balance a cozy and modern vibe while paying homage to SXSW's rich history.
That history fills a picture wall (shown above) that takes employees and visitors down memory lane with iconic photos of musicians, filmmakers, writers, entertainers, technology wizards and national leaders. Other photos are incorporated elsewhere in the office space.
Jose Ortega, senior project architect with Gensler, said the firm created a hybrid interior design for SXSW. At the outset of the design process, the design committee at SXSW was looking to merge two very distinct styles: one that has a definite "Austin vibe", including exposed ceilings, natural materials and an edgy feel, combined with a more seasoned aesthetic.
“In the end, the assimilation of these two styles enables clients and staff to 'feel' different environments as they progress through the space," explained Ortega.
Sleek hospitality features inspired the design for the reception area, which incorporates graphics co-designed by SXSW and Gensler on the wall in blue and orange to complement the office space's warm palette colors and wood tones.
Meanwhile, the employee workspace is more Austin-like with exposed ceilings and communal openness. It's a unique approach that was designed to accommodate the number of staff that expands and contracts with each festival. They can fit up to 250 people in the office. Rounded huddle furniture gives a whimsical nod to the curvature of the space.
“Creating a high-performance environment that can accommodate this change [in staffing] without having to move furniture was the goal," Ortega said.
As employees and visitors pass the reception area and walk into the communal employee huddle space, they take in views of downtown Austin and the capitol dome through floor-to-ceiling windows.
“One of the key design drivers for the project was that all staff in the open plan were to receive views toward the capitol and the south while offices were located on the north side of the building," Ortega said.
Other elements in the design include a "floating wall" outside of each bank of elevators that uses lighting above and behind the artwork that suggests it is floating. SXSW commissioned original art from a local artist for the 11th floor wall. The 12th floor floating wall consists of SXSW festival photos wrapped around a corner.
The project got the creative design juices moving, in part, because the building's curved architecture added a unique element to the mix while designing the interiors.
“While the S-shape curve of the building manifests an interesting exterior, the interior needed to respond in as powerful a manner, while creating the most efficient workplace that is a refined, yet simple kit of parts," Ortega said.
