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Google’s Future Home at Block 185 Has Already Transformed Austin’s Skyline

James Rambin April 9, 2021 Comment

Checking on Block 185’s progress from the other side of the lake. Photo by James Rambin

Block 185, the downtown Austin office tower project best known as the future home of Google, has made significant progress since its groundbreaking back in the downright prehistoric era of 2019 — and though it hasn’t reached its full height of 594 feet just yet, the 35-floor building’s ever-growing prominence on the downtown skyline is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Patrick Y Wong | Architecture (@atelierwong)

We’ve seen the arrival of a fairly shocking number of tower plans since Block 185’s first appearance several years ago, many of which are significantly taller, but in terms of a so-called “signature tower” it’s still hard to find any competition with this sail-shaped work of art now emerging at 601 West Second Street on behalf of its developers at  Trammell Crow Company.

Image: Pelli Clarke Pelli / STG Design

Block 185 is also significant as one of the final projects designed by acclaimed firm Pelli Clarke Pelli (along with help from the locals at STG Design ) before the July 2019 death of its founder, the Argentinian-American “starchitect” César Pelli — and once it’s complete, the building will arguably be downtown’s most nationally prominent work of tower architecture based on name recognition alone. Pelli and his firm have designed some of the tallest structures in the world, including the unforgettable twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur that held the world height record from 1998 to 2004 at 1,483 feet, along with the more recent 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.

Some of Pelli’s Texas buildings have a little Block 185 DNA floating around — on the left is the San Antonio version of the Frost Bank Tower, on the right is the firm’s McKinney & Olive tower in Dallas. Images: Pelli Clarke Pelli

Pelli designed the Gates-Dell Complex opened on the University of Texas campus in 2013 — a very different building from the firm’s tower projects, but still featuring an inspired use of glass in its atrium. The studio’s 1990s master plan for the UT campus also brought us the Seay Building in 2002. Image: Pelli Clarke Pelli

Pelli’s body of work evolved significantly over the course of his nearly 60-year career, but Block 185’s sweeping sail-shaped design embodies common principles of his later towers, namely the manipulation of exterior glass facades to reduce the prominence of sharp corners and create buildings that look, for lack of a better word, smooth.

In his later years, working with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, Pelli pursued not just tall buildings, but incredibly smooth ones, too . . . sweeping, glass-and-mullion-wrapped forms, shimmer amid their surroundings, dematerializing through a subtle gradient of rounded edges, slight relief, and structural repetition against sun-kissed backdrops. The buildings embody high points of both of facade design and skyscraper style.  — “In Praise of César Pelli’s Quirky Corners,” Archinect

A look at some Pelli towers, from left to right: Sevilla Tower in Spain, the Landmark tower in Abu Dhabi, and the Ocean Financial Centre in Singapore. Images: Wikimedia Commons / Pelli Clarke Pelli

Pelli’s designs for Salesforce Tower and the Landmark in Abu Dhabi both share these elements with the shorter Block 185, but the most striking companion to our tower in Pelli’s recent portfolio is the One Congress office tower now under construction in Boston, which will rise 600 feet — or 6 feet higher than Block 185 — and looks like our tower’s long-lost cousin when you compare both side-by-side:

Images: Pelli Clarke Pelli

Pelli’s so-called glass skin architecture treats the facades of these towers as distinct art objects, unconstrained in their ability to shape a building’s exterior profile by the basic form of the structure beneath — as you can see in both buildings above, the peak of each facade rises past the occupied levels of the tower to instead become its crown, growing into something more than simply a wall in the process. 

“[Pelli] wanted to play with the skin of the building. He wanted buildings to ‘celebrate the joy of their own skin’.”  — Daniel Paul, Architectural Historian

Photo by James Rambin

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (@pcparch)

Now that Block 185 is starting to make its mark in the real world, we’re beginning to understand just how significant an influence the Google “sail” will have on Austin’s skyline from the south, particularly from across the river. For a pulled-back view of the tower’s progress, check out the live construction webcam below from the Loren hotel and condo project now underway on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake — from here, you can see the building in context with its neighbors, only further demonstrating how its profile will impact the skyline. For tower fans, it couldn’t be a better view.

About James Rambin

James is an Austin native and fifth-generation Texan, but tries not to brag about it. Email him anything at [email protected] .

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New Curved Office Tower Leased by Google Sails Into Austin’s Skyline

by Sairam Kota | Jan 2, 2022 | Blog

By Marissa Luck CoStar News

With less than six months to go before a Google-leased office tower in downtown Austin, Texas, is completed, the curved 35-story building has already transformed the skyline over Lady Bird Lake.

Google’s tower at 601 W. Second St., formerly known as Block 185, is on track for its core and shell to be finished in May, said Aaron Thielhorn, managing director for developer Trammell Crow Co., in an email to CoStar News. Trammell Crow and partner MSD Capital LP broke ground on the 814,081-square-foot office building in January 2019. Rising 590 feet, the tower is expected to be the tallest in Austin that is only office space, according to Trammell Crow. 

However, Google’s new tower is distinctive not just for its size but for the design that resembles a sail rising over Lady Bird Lake. The tower will offer 180-degree views of the lake with outdoor terraces on every floor of the building, according to Trammell Crow. The tower’s curved facade designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and STG Design is becoming a downtown landmark rivaling other well-known towers such as The Independent, which has been nicknamed the “Jenga” or “Tetris” tower for its blocky facade that is 694 feet tall.

Search engine provider Google first planted roots in Texas when it established its original Austin office in 2007. The company also leases space in the 500,000-square-foot office building at 500 W. Second St., directly across the street from the new tower, and in East Austin at Plaza Saltillo where it started moving employees into the 150,000-square-foot building at the beginning of 2020.

Google’s partial interior build-out of its new space is expected to start in March and cost $55 million, according to a state permit. Austin-based Cushing Terrell is the interior design firm for the build-out that is expected to be completed in January 2023, according to the permit.

The tech giant is part of a trend of technology companies continuing to commit to large blocks of real estate despite uncertainty around hybrid work and return-to-office trends because of the pandemic.

The building marks the final phase of Trammell Crow’s Greenwater Treatment Plant Redevelopment project in downtown Austin. That project started in 2012, according to Trammell Crow, and also includes the already completed 500 W. Second St., the 38-story, mixed-use Northshore tower and the 244-key Austin Proper boutique hotel.

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Official Name

Other names.

The Sail, Sailboat Building, Google Tower

United States

601 West 2nd Street

Structural Material

All-Concrete

Energy Label

LEED Platinum targeted

175.9 m / 577 ft

Floors Above Ground

Floors below ground.

73,765 m² / 794,000 ft²

• By Location

Construction Schedule

Construction Start

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Pelli Clarke & Partners

Structural engineer.

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Thornton Tomasetti

Other consultant other consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc)..

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Permasteelisa Group

Material supplier material supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc)., gva lighting, trammell crow company, msd capital; trammell crow company.

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

MEP Engineer

Blum consulting engineers, inc..

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

DPR Construction

Legacy lighting; one lux studio, global news.

17 August 2021

Sailboat-Inspired Office Building Tops Out in Austin

Block 185, a 35-floor downtown Austin office tower, has topped out at 179.5 meters. Located at 601 West Second Street, the building with a silhouette...

02 April 2019

New Skyscraper Leased to Tech Company in Austin

Topped by what’s labeled a “pyramidal crown,” Austin’s 33-story Frost Bank Tower debuted in 2004 at East Fourth Street and Congress Avenue. It soon earned...

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Austin's next iconic high-rise sets sail downtown with Google on board

Topped by what’s labeled a “pyramidal crown,” the 33-story Frost Bank Tower debuted in 2004 at East Fourth Street and Congress Avenue. It soon earned the nickname of the “Owl Building,” thanks to the owl-eye circles — actually Frost Bank logos — near the top of the high-rise.

Not far from the Frost Bank Tower is The Independent, a soon-to-open, 57-story condo tower. The building, at West Fifth Street and West Avenue, bears a strong resemblance to a stack of blocks, thus prompting people to dub it the “Jenga Building.”

Now, another one-of-a-kind structure is set to grace Austin’s downtown skyline. The 35-story office tower has neither a name nor a nickname yet, although it aptly could be christened the “Sailboat Building,” given the sail-like shape of its east and west sides.

The tower’s architects envision it being “a new icon for Austin.”

Dallas-based developer Trammell Crow Co. broke ground on the project in February. Construction is scheduled to be finished in May 2022. Google already has gobbled up all of the office space in the high-rise, which will feature nearly 794,000 rentable square feet.

At a recent meeting of the Austin Design Commission, project architects provided a preview of the Google tower. Bill Butler, principal of New Haven, Connecticut-based Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, said that based on its location — bordered by West Second Street to the north, West Caesar Chavez Street to the south, Nueces Street to the east, and Shoal Creek to the west — the building will serve as a “gateway to downtown.” It’ll sit about 200 feet north of Lady Bird Lake at 601 W. Second St. (next to Austin’s new Central Library), thus offering prime waterfront views.

The gleaming glass-and-steel office tower will add to the character of Austin, “but most importantly [it] will put forth the values of the city and really extend a kind of sense of how Austin likes to occupy the workplace [and] also how it respects the open public-space environment,” according to Butler.

Butler added that the tower “complements” the current skyline “but also stands out as being unique.”

On the Caesar Chavez side, the building will gradually taper from wider at the bottom to narrower at the top, creating the appearance of a sail from the Nueces Street and Shoal Creek ends — a nod to the neighboring lake and creek. Butler said he thinks this will be the first Austin office building to feature outdoor terraces at so many levels.

Austin-based STG Design Inc. is collaborating with Pelli Clarke Pelli on the design of the Austin high-rise. Aside from the Google tower, Pelli Clarke Pelli is leading the design of the new Frost Bank Tower in downtown San Antonio.

The new tower will feature nearly 794,000 rentable square feet.

Reaching new heights, austin's apartment construction rate is 3rd highest in the nation.

Austin has been in such an building boom that even a slowing rate of new apartment buildings is still one of the fastest in the country. According to a new insight report from RentCafe, the Austin metro area has the third highest new apartment construction rate nationwide, after previously holding the No. 1 title in 2023.

The report from August 7 analyzed new apartment construction data across 369 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). For the purpose of the study, only apartment buildings containing 50 or more units were included. Any U.S. metros with fewer than 300 units or fewer than two properties/buildings were excluded.

The top two metros that outperformed Austin are New York (No. 1) and Dallas (No. 2) with far higher rates of newly built apartments expected in 2024. Dallas-Fort Worth developers are expected to build a staggering 32,932 total apartment units in 2024, which is just three fewer units than New York City's anticipated goal.

The Austin metro area is still expected to complete 21,506 new apartments by the end of the year, so construction isn't slowing down by much in comparison to the other top two metros. In just Austin proper, developers are anticipating 12,157 completed units by year-end.

Austin also landed in the No. 3 spot for the highest apartment construction rate between 2020 and 2022, (preceding its chart topping projection in 2023) with 45,051 new apartment units opening around the metro since the beginning of the so-called "pandemic building boom."

The report attributes booming construction rates to Austin's steady population growth , the area's thriving job market , and its desirability among major employers .

"Plus, remote work has consistently brought people from more expensive coastal cities , and even though housing prices are rising, apartments in Austin are still more affordable than those in places like San Francisco or New York," the report's author wrote.

Austin makes up the bulk of new apartments in the area, while San Marcos is expected to build the second highest number of new apartments in the metro, totaling 1,842 units. Other suburbs like Manor and Georgetown will complete an anticipated 1,633 and 1,517 apartments by the end of the year, respectively.

Here's how many new apartments other Austin-area cities expect to build by the end of 2024:

• Hutto – 1,193 units
• Leander – 972 units
• Del Valle – 595 units

Austin apartment construction by 2028 Based on the number of newly built apartments from 2019 to 2023, RentCafe's analysts extrapolated that New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin will continue dominating new apartment construction through 2028. But unlike past years when there was a steady growth in completed units, the report predicts construction will dwindle until 2027; Then it will experience a big hike in 2028.

"[A]partment construction starts are expected to keep falling throughout the next year as developers struggle to get financing due to stricter loan standards amid economic uncertainties, which causes delays in projects," the report said.

For context, Dallas-Fort Worth had the highest number of new apartments completed over the five-year period – 128,418 units – from 2019 to 2023, versus New York's 116,207 newly built units. Austin only built 72,011 new units during the same time period, landing at No. 8 nationally, but apparently the report expects that the higher ranking of more recent years will stick.

RentCafe calculated New York will lead the nation with 150,327 new apartments built by the end of 2028, and DFW will trail behind with 108,178 completed units. The Metroplex's anticipated figures are 28 percent lower than New York's expected apartments.

Austin, however, will claim No. 3 nationwide with projected 80,046 new apartments by 2028, about 8,000 more units than those that were completed from 2019 to 2023.

"Here, Austin's booming employment market, particularly in tech, is a significant draw for new residents looking for high-paying STEM jobs," the report said. "The expansion of major employers, including Tesla and Oracle, is expected to further increase the demand for rental apartments in the area."

The full report and its methodology can be found on rentcafe.com .

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Austin Sail Boat Rentals

Sailing on Lake Travis

Austin Sailboat Rentals | Sailing

We are located on beautiful Lake Travis. No membership is required. We also provide sailing programs for homeschooled kids, spring and summer sailing camps, private and group sailing lessons, team building and corporate events, birthday parties for children and adults, glass-bottom illuminated kayak night tours, and a whole lot more fun things to do. Check out our booth at Austin Artists Market .

Sunset Sails

Feel the stress drain away with the boat’s gentle rocking and the waves’ ” sploosh ” against the side. Smell the fresh, moist breeze. Listen to the peaceful sounds of nature. Then rela-a-ax … as Captain Nance brings the boat “about” into the beautiful Texas sunset. Is your anniversary coming up soon? What a perfect way to celebrate – with a private sail into the sunset!

Check out our list of the Best Places to Sail in Austin

Day Cruises

Sail in the shade of the cockpit canopy or “catch some rays” on the deck. See the ducks, seagulls, turtles, and sometimes an egret or heron. Sit back and rela-a-ax… or take the helm for a while. Bring your camera, snacks, and drinks! Bring your family!

New!  We are Proud Members of Texas Fishing Guides , the best source for fishing information in Texas Lakes.

Informal Sailing Lessons

Your U.S. Coast Guard licensed Master, Captain Nance, can give you sailing & safety instruction and techniques. An informal lesson can be combined with a charter. One or two people may want to learn about sailing, while their friends may want to kick back and relax.

Be a Part of the Hottest Sailing Trend in Texas!

If you are looking at Sailboats for sale in Austin, Texas, consider the value of sharing a sailboat. You have no depreciation, you don’t have to put the boat up for sale when you want to upgrade, you have no maintenance costs, it’s less expensive than chartering, your initial investment is meager, and with Austin Sailboat Rentals, the impressive new fleet is always ready to sail when you are.

With us, instead of looking endlessly at sailboats for sale, you go sailing by sharing new sailboats globally for less than what others spend on slip fees and maintenance alone. Sailing in Austin on Lake Travis, Texas, has never been easier. Other locations also feature luxury cruising sailboats available for sailing enjoyment.

Lake Travis Party Boats

Friends tell us that renting a party boat on Lake Travis is the best thing to forget in 2023. We tend to agree, and just in time for the warm weather, UnlockAustin has posted its Top 10 Best Lake Travis Party Boats list. Be sure to check it out.

Want to Learn To Sail in Austin

We are an American Sailing Association Certified Sailing Training Instructors and hold sailing classes regularly.

Are You Thinking of Buying a New Sailboat?

Instead of searching for sailboats for sale, own a new sailboat or put your late model sailboat in our fleet: If you are thinking of buying a new sailboat, talk to us, and we’ll make your banknote, slip, and maintenance payments for six years. If you have a late-model sailboat and are a little tired of the costs associated with owning and before you put your sailboat up for sale, contact us; we can make those payments for you.

Assumption of Risk

Disclaimer : Sailing is a thrilling and rewarding experience, but it is essential to remember that it comes with inherent risks. Before taking to the open waters, that some time to understand the potential risks associated with sailing and how to mitigate them.  Assumption of risk is a legal principle that states that a person who engages in an inherently dangerous activity assumes the associated risks. This means that if a person chooses to participate in a potentially hazardous activity, such as sailing, they accept the inherent risks involved in that activity and cannot hold others liable for any resulting injuries or damages.

Every time you set sail, you are responsible for understanding the potential risks and hazards associated with the activity. This includes understanding the weather, the environment, and the safety protocols related to sailing. Be aware of the potential dangers of the boat itself, such as capsizing, running aground, or getting caught in a storm. Understanding the risks and hazards of sailing is essential to staying safe on the water. Have the proper safety equipment and knowledge to handle any situation. By taking the time to understand the risks associated with sailing, you can ensure that you and your crew have a safe and enjoyable experience on the open waters.