UK contractor Balfour Beatty has been selected by the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) as construction manager of the first phase of the $581m Texas Capitol Complex masterplan, to be built in the state capital of Austin.
Balfour Beatty will coordinate the hiring of design and construction firms, as well as creating and managing their scopes of work, and setting and managing project schedules and budgets.
The project arose after the government identified 21 under-employed acres of land in and around the capitol. The idea is to spend several decades adding 7 million sq ft of development. Of that total, 1 million would be accounted for by three state office buildings and the remainder would be in other forms of development such as retail, residential, and mixed use.
The work is divided into six packages: excavations, utility relocations, central utility plant tunnels, the construction of the office buildings, an underground parking garage and the Texas mall.
Phase one of construction includes two offices and five levels of underground parking, which will be the base of the pedestrian-oriented "Texas Mall", a three-block area north of the state capitol.
This tree-lined promenade will be located on Congress Avenue between 16th Street and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, and will serve as the northern gateway to the Capitol Complex, complete with a public green space for events and festivals.
The two office buildings will accommodate state employees who are currently working in leased space.
Balfour Beatty will work with Page as the master architect and Cobb, Fendley & Associates as site services engineer.
Chris Davis, vice president for Balfour in Austin, said: "Our team has helped shape downtown Austin’s inspiring skyline since early 2000 with landmark projects such as the Austonian, Northshore, The Independent, and over 500 tenant finish-out and renovation projects in the city’s central business district.
"It is especially gratifying to be a part of shaping Texas history. The bold program for the State of Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan Phase One envisions a living symbol of independence and opportunity, two qualities synonymous with the Texan experience."
More information is available here.
