Overland Partners and Studio8 Architects completed the design for the University of Texas at Austin’s Liberal Arts Building located in Austin, Texas.

The Liberal Arts Building is a multifunctional academic building for the largest college on campus, serving over 15,000 students. The college’s departments previously were located within multiple buildings throughout campus; thus a new building that addressed increasing demands for interdisciplinary collaboration while providing a unified identity and home for the various departments was critical for the ongoing success and reputation of the college.

The site, at the new heart of campus and adjacent to the vibrant Student Activity Center, held tremendous potential as a gateway to campus and as an icon for the college. The college set out to self-fund the project through program cuts. Overland partnered with the college to deliver a project ahead of schedule and 15% below budget in order to preserve programs and faculty positions.

At 68% efficiency, the building yielded 20% more useable space than the program required. Additionally, through the integration of innovative systems such as chilled beam technology, the project exceeded its initial goal of LEED Silver and instead achieved LEED Gold certification.

Architect: Overland Partners
Designer: Studio8 Architects
Photography: Dror Baldinger