Blue Springs Business Park

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

The three building Class A Industrial Business Park was constructed on a 43-acre site in Georgetown, Texas. The business park provides maximum flexibility to accommodate tenants from 20,700 to 604,064 square feet. Building 1 is 124,914 square feet and has a 32' clear height. Building 2 is 310,366 square feet with a 36' clear height and Building 3 is 168,784 square feet 32' clear height. Buildings consist of a structural steel frame with slab on grade. The exterior design is comprised of vertical and horizontal articulation, a decorative formliner, stone veneer, canopies/sunshades, two-story glazing and ACM parapet detailing at the entry locations. Site offers North and South bound access to I-35 and is under 30 minutes from the Austin area. The Business Park is designed to accommodate a wide array of users who look to service not only Georgetown, but the entire North Austin market.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The site is located in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, which required additional site considerations regarding water quality and civil design. Several civil features that were incorporated included water quality wet basins and permeable pavers. Additionally, there was a large outcrop of protected and heritage trees on the site that were to remain that the buildings and site had to design around.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

The city code had very restrictive requirements regarding vertical and horizontal articulations for the building facades based on the zoning district and overlay uses, as the code was originally written with more commercial uses in mind. To help adapt the building and panel design for the project, a creative alternative design and administrative exception was pursued with the city, which included additional architectural formliners, stone veneer, ACM as well as site features. Several building design iterations were presented to the City for approval.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment?

As the site is within the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, the water quality features implemented on the site have the potential for significant impact on the environment, managing the stormwater quantity and quality of the site through structural and biological processes.