Adaption of an early 1900’s era warehouse in downtown Austin to an active mixed-use building in the city’s historic core. The original three-level building was little more than a concrete shell, without fire stairs, elevators, or any code-compliant utilities. The owner desired to upgrade the building for a variety of uses, including three new restaurant spaces on the ground floor, a private club in the basement, and office spaces at the upper level. Applying the principle of adaptive reuse, Specht Harpman worked with the site’s occupants to create an open, airy floor plan with lots of natural light and an eye toward modernism and energy efficiency. Per the clients’ request for a design that encouraged “taking the stairs,” our team created visually compelling exterior stairways on the eastern front of the building. Specht Harpman Architects. symbologie. member Louise Harpman