William P. Hobby Plaza

GSC’s dramatic renovation of the public exterior plaza at the TFC William P. Hobby Building downtown Austin rid the plaza of an expansive linear pool and transformed it into a shaded urban garden blooming with color.  The original plaza was dominated by an expansive linear pool with a massive metal structure that once served as a fountain, spraying water down into the pool.  GSC repurposed this structure into a shade element through the addition of colorful sun sails that provided shade to the benches throughout the day. The existing pool was filled with Styrofoam blocks and a concrete topper as this plaza sits above an underground parking garage. Once the pool was filled, the design team added board-formed concrete benches and planters to the plaza. The existing water feature, that once circulated water in the pool, was cleverly repurposed to irrigate to each planter.