Best high-rise

Masonry Construction, July-August, 2004

Austin, Texas

Texas Association

of Counties Office Building

Scheduling and site challenges were a constant battle during the construction of this downtown Austin office complex that houses membership and training programs for county officials across Texas.

Material deliveries had to be timed with 30-minute windows for unloading with the tower crane and coordination with the other trades on the jobsite to prevent a devastating domino affect. Vehicle accessibility and material storage at the tight site were a continual problem, with existing buildings less than 5-feet from the new structure in some places. Special scaffolding systems were required to accommodate the jobsite conditions.

Honed face Cordova Cream and Gray Leuders Texas limestone encircle the building displaying the names of various counties in the state. For the parking garage, about 29,000 gray CMU had to be cut on grade, since every lower level floor garage is built on a slope. About 255,000 face brick, along with 2250 pieces of cast stone, were also used.

Project Participants

Masonry Contractor: Brazos Masonry, Waco, Texas

Architect: Kell Munoz, San Antonio. Texas

Masonry Suppliers: Mezger Enterprises, Lampasas, Texas; Brick Selections, San Antonio, Texas: United Cast Stone. Denton Texas; and Featherlite (Acme Building Brands). Round Rock, Texas