Civic pride is a key component for the sense of urban ownership in residents. The environment and people living within are in constant conversation. How the urban fabric presents and carries itself to residents and visitors, has a direct effect on the human psyche. As a city degrades over time, so does its society, and the values it holds. Therefore, it is not only imperative to design and build a city with utmost attentiveness, it is even more demanding to achieve a successful restoration of an existing city. Snøhetta seems to have minded all these aspects in their comprehensive grounds redesign for The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin. 

The redesign pays close attention to the importance of the site as it marks the entrance to the campus on one side, and it’s the newly redeveloping urban context on the other. The massive development initiative dubbed as the “New Texas Capitol Complex”, by the state, aims to reconsolidate its state agencies. Therefore, the intervention by Snøhetta has a responsibility to not only reflect the values and mission of the university, but also serve as a transition to the new capitol complex, and a neighboring face to the renewed and contemporary image of the State of Texas.

Architects identified the most important drivers for the project being the context the climate, and art. When signing the public grounds Snøhetta aimed to provide solutions that addressed all these drivers. Through a carefully orchestrated ensemble of planting, geometry, and art, the landscape vision is defined by a series of new gardens and entry points that knit the grounds together. Texas, looking to face further intensified droughts and extreme weather events, required designers to use native, and draught-resistant vegetation. Throughout the grounds, more than 25,000 new plants, made up of species proven to succeed on the campus, have been added. The existing vegetation was maintained where possible, as the oak trees that grow along the periphery of the grounds have been characteristic to the universities image. 

Rising above the trees, the visitors will see sculptures that resemble petals. These elements help create a visual connection to the arched loggias of the existing buildings and frame the state capitol, and the Ellsworth Kelly artwork on either side. Petals also provide shade and collect rainwater. Each petal is 40 feet tall and made out of perforated panels 30 feet wide. The collected water provided is stored and used for passive irrigation of the surrounding landscaping.

Snøhetta also included opportunities for underrepresented artists to be highlighted, including a site-specific work by renowned Cuban-American abstract painter Carmen Herrera. The landscape design is coordinated to work with the texture and colors of this public mural, in addition to making space for a sound garden gallery for auditory artworks. Two adjacent stages included in the patio allow performances to take place, while the new landscaping allows for a variety of seating areas to be configured by the users. Overall, the new grounds provide a perfect junction for the community to come together around art and music

Project Facts

Location: Austin, TX
Completion Date: 2024
Architects: Snøhetta
Client: Blanton Museum of Art

Top image © Casey Dunn, courtesy - Snøhetta.

All Photography © Casey Dunn.

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