New Federal Courthouse Opens in Austin; $304M Apple Campus Underway

Austin’s federal courthouse has found a new home in an eight-story, 252,420-square-foot building of stone and glass. Located in the downtown area, the $123 million project opened three years and three months since breaking ground in 2009. Sitting on the site of the old Shell building, the new facility features eight courtrooms and chambers for 10 judges, compared to the four courtrooms and four chambers at the old Eighth Street location.

By Camelia Bulea, Associate Editor

Austin’s federal courthouse has found a new home in an eight-story, 252,420-square-foot building of stone and glass. Located in the downtown area, the $123 million project opened three years and three months since breaking ground in 2009.

Sitting on the site of the old Shell building, the new facility features eight courtrooms and chambers for 10 judges, compared to the four courtrooms and four chambers at the old Eighth Street location. Additionally, the new courthouse features a massive piece of artwork composed by a German artist estimated at around $1 million.

“This is the courthouse of the future. The entire building is run by computer—the lights, the temperature, everything,” Judge Sparks told KVUE News. The publication adds that the entire building is filled with natural light due to its long windows. Construction, which began in September 2009, is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, notes the Austin-American Statesman.

In other interesting news, the new $304 million Apple campus is starting to take shape with what appears to be a three-story office building, announced the Statesman. Estimated to create about 3,600 local jobs, the Apple project will be developed in two phases and is due for completion at the end of 2021.

According to a revised engineering plan, the entire project will have seven buildings, more than 1 million square feet of space and three parking structures providing 5,500 parking spaces.

Photo rendering of the new federal courthouse in Austin, courtesy of Texas Society of Architects

For more news from Austin, click here.

You May Also Like