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Project

Google Tower Block 185

Google’s new Texas headquarters embraces Austin’s outdoors spirit with a sail-like shape and landscaped terraces.

Lead Contact

Project Details

Project Partners
Pelli Clarke Pelli & STG Design
Owner
Trammell Crow (Development Manager)
Location
Austin, Texas
Completion Date
Area
1.5 million ft²
Sustainability
LEED Platinum Certification
Number of Stories
35
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. © Jason O’Rear
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. © Jason O’Rear
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. Courtesy DPR Construction
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. Courtesy DPR Construction
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. Courtesy DPR Construction
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. Courtesy DPR Construction
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas. Courtesy DPR Construction
Google Tower Block 185 in Austin, Texas.
Located within just 300 feet of the Colorado River, the site extends 65 feet below grade, and approximately 40 feet below groundwater level. Thornton Tomasetti
block185
Featuring a distinct sweeping design, Google Tower Block 185 is a new office tower under construction in Austin, Texas. Rendering by Steelblue LLC, courtesy Pelli Clarke Pelli.

Smooth Sailing in Texas

Google’s new Texas headquarters embraces Austin’s outdoors spirit with a sail-like shape and landscaped terraces, while the ground floor provides dining and retail with an open lobby leading to the Second Street shopping and entertainment district. The building includes 745,000 square feet of office space and 10 levels of above-grade parking spaces. 

We provided structural design services to Pelli Clarke Pelli and STG Design for the development, which completed in 2022. We collaborated on a plan to minimize pandemic delays by ordering equipment in advance and staging it off-site to meet tight delivery windows. Despite the uncertainty caused by COVID, the project was delivered ahead of schedule.

Block 185 Crown Install Courtesy DPR Construction
Crown Install

Highlights

  • The distinct sail shape on the western façade and a stepped and terraced southern façade posed some unique structural challenges. The shape is achieved through sloped structural concrete columns on the tower’s perimeter, which required careful coordination between Thornton Tomasetti, the architects and the curtain wall design-build contractor, Permasteelisa.
  • With a series of balconies at every fifth floor, the setbacks on the southern façade are made possible by strategically placed columns, the majority of which avoid transfer beams. A concrete core provides the tower’s lateral stability and houses elevators, stairs and MEP back-of-the house functions. 
  • Significant planning went into the column grid and layouts to accommodate the office and above and below-grade parking programs. The chosen system entails a generous 45-foot span in the east-west direction, and 30-foot span in north-south direction.
  • The resulting leasing bays allow for open office interiors with an efficient desk planning layout and provide for ample space for the many amenity areas requested by the tenant and owner. Large areas of the slabs have also been prepared without post-tensioning to accommodate future modifications, such as for communicating interior stairs or slab openings.
  • The below-grade parking system was optimized by adding a column to each bay, such that the typical bay (30 feet by 45 feet) was reduced to 30 feet by 30 feet. This efficient solution allowed for a flat mild reinforced slab system to be used below grade, which minimized the vertical floor-to-floor dimension since no beams were required. 
block185_vid_2 Rendering by Steelblue LLC, courtesy Pelli Clarke Pelli
Concrete Pour

Capabilities