Domain II, a sophisticated mixed-use environment designed for the pedestrian, opens in Austin

 

The mixed-use development’s second phase includes more than 300,000 additional square feet of retail and restaurants, 75,000 square feet of office space, and 411 residential units housed in an engaging, walkable setting

AUSTIN, Texas, March 25, 2010 – The second phase of the Domain, a mixed-use development located on 304 acres of former IBM-owned property in north Austin, is complete and open to the public. Domain II completes the pedestrian-friendly, open-air development comprised of first-floor retail and restaurant entities under office space and residential units; the project’s first phase opened in March 2007 and is anchored by Austin’s first Neiman Marcus.

Domain II offers an inviting array of live, work and play opportunities in a walkable urban environment filled with engaging features and exploration opportunities. The development includes innovative design features and outdoor places of interest conceived by TBG Partners, the Austin-based landscape architecture and planning firm that provided the project’s landscape architecture services.

Anchored by Dillard’s at one end and Dick’s Sporting Goods at the other, Domain II is linear in nature, allowing for a prominent promenade to link the succession of spaces. Within this promenade,  many outdoor rooms and features exist that stimulate the senses—with a spiral fountain and interactive sprayground serving as the epicenter—creating a distinct and unique sense of place that facilitates the safe passage of pedestrians.

Rain gardens are an innovative feature of Domain II. Serving as vegetated corridors that offer visual interest to shoppers yet also demonstrating the importance of thoughtful stormwater management, the rain gardens provide multiple stages of biofiltration. The sunken gardens are enclosed by masonry walls, which act as seat walls on one side and as terraced steps on the other, with a vegetated basin in the middle. Area rainfall is collected and empties into the basin, irrigating plants that enhance the water quality before passing through a sub-surface drainage system to a nearby retention pond. The naturalistic character of the rain gardens affords an intriguing contrast to the well-manicured aesthetic of the larger retail and restaurant environment.

The spiral fountain is an immensely popular feature that sprays alternating jets of water in various patterns accented with LED lighting. This central, more open area also includes a sculptural outdoor fire pit and an event stage that hugs a mature live oak. The fire pit’s large dark bowl sits on a circular base of large smooth pebbles, which differentiate the space from the outlying cut stone, interspersed with artistic wrought-iron leaves and flowers. The fire pit area is enclosed by a 30-foot-long seat wall, which exhibits a compelling mosaic, “Hill Country Birds,” an interpretation of 15 bird species found throughout Texas that was created by Terra Firma Studios’ Aly Winningham. This popular leisure space reflects a concerted effort to provide integrated seating opportunities throughout the development. The integration of berms throughout Domain II was another design emphasis and a means to generate visual topographic interest, creating the feeling of outdoor spaces carved out of a hilly landscape.

In addition to the centerpiece spiral fountain, TBG designed two additional fountains located in Domain II. The fountain within Dillard’s north entry plaza is part of a space intended to be distinct from the larger promenade and is defined by a grid pattern in the hardscape that extends onto a grove of palm trees through an outdoor dining area. Rising from the fountain’s square, stainless-steel basin, tall acrylic tubes lit from underneath mimic the long trunks of the nearby palm trees.

Additional elements of Domain II include a multipurpose, depressed activity lawn that instantly became a patron favorite. This four-season flex space offers a safe, soft-surface, synthetic turf area for recreation by all ages, as it can function as a bocce court as well as a tot lot. Two unique feature walls made from Lueders limestone, a very dense and strong variety of limestone quarried from the Lueders Basin near Abilene, Texas, add to Domain II’s rich aesthetic character. Each slab was carefully sawn into multiple “slices” and manipulated into a distinct shape: one with a twisted form resembling a helix, and the other with a random pattern of raised and lowered slices in more of an abstract piano key motif, even though it was actually inspired by the tines of a music box. These two limestone compositions afford additional durable outdoor components on which children can climb and play.

The Domain II development team consists of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group as the project’s developer; Dallas-based The Beck Group as the architect of record for the retail and office components and general contractor; Novi, Michigan-based JPRA Architects as the design architect; Austin-based TBG Partners as the landscape architect; Dallas-based RTKL as the residential architect; Austin-based Bury + Partners as the civil engineer; Dallas-based Brockette/Davis/Drake as the structural engineer; and St. Louis-based Kuhlmann Design Group as the M/E/P engineer for site and retail components.

 

ABOUT TBG PARTNERS

As one of the top landscape architecture and planning firms in the Southwest, TBG Partners designs mixed-use and residential communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, resorts, healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic sites. With a strong commitment to the advancement of sustainable design principles, TBG encourages its employees to become LEED Accredited Professionals and its clients to utilize green building practices for their projects. Established in 1987, TBG has offices in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. For more information, please visit www.tbg-inc.com

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191