Designed by KPF, Waterline is a 1,025-foot mixed-use tower in Austin, Texas, combining residential, hospitality, office, retail, and public spaces within a 74-storey development.
Located along Waller Creek at the edge of Lady Bird Lake, the project extends the adjacent Waterloo Greenway into its ground-floor public realm, connecting the surrounding neighbourhood with the waterfront and Rainey Street District. Now completed, Waterline is the tallest building in Texas.
Connecting the tower with the public realm
Developed by Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential, Waterline is organised around a multi-level ground plane known as the Paseo. This public promenade extends the walkways of Waterloo Greenway beneath and around the tower, creating pedestrian connections to Austin's first light rail line and the Rainey Street District.
Rather than treating the base as a conventional enclosed podium, KPF designed it as an open framework that allows the surrounding neighbourhood to connect with the greenway and the lake. The landscape beneath the tower also informs the design of its upper levels, where a series of terraces creates additional outdoor spaces for the hotel, offices and residences.
A vertical arrangement of mixed uses
The building accommodates different programmes within a single tower, including Austin's first 1 Hotel, premium office space, ground-floor retail and 352 residential units. The development also includes 252 hotel rooms, with residential amenities such as sky gardens and a crown-level amenity floor featuring water elements and co-working spaces.
The tower's form is divided to respond to changes in programme. Its primarily horizontal façade, articulated by vertical elements, produces a layered profile that slopes away from the water as the building rises.
Double-height exterior floorplates supported by large columns mark transitions between uses, making the internal organisation more legible on the exterior.
At the base, the podium curves to follow Waller Creek's western bend and accommodates hotel and parking functions. Deep balconies, divided into smaller sections, articulate the lower levels and establish a relationship between the tower's massing and the surrounding landscape.
Shaping the building around the landscape
The relationship with Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake informs both the tower's overall massing and its architectural details. According to KPF, the design began with the public landscape beneath the building and extended this idea upwards through terraces that function as elevated outdoor spaces.
The resulting form responds to the different requirements of its mixed-use programme while establishing a distinctive silhouette on Austin's skyline. Its sloping profile also opens the tower towards the surrounding waterfront, while the curved podium follows the creek's western edge.
Sustainability and building performance
Waterline is pursuing LEED Gold and WELL v2 certifications. The project incorporates a combination of residential, hospitality, and workplace functions within one high-rise development, alongside publicly accessible spaces at ground level and outdoor amenity areas throughout the tower.
The certification targets establish the project's intended sustainability and occupant-wellbeing benchmarks. However, the final certification status and measured environmental performance have not yet been specified in the available project information.
With a total area of more than 2.7 million square feet, a height of 1,025 feet and 74 storeys, Waterline adds a substantial mixed-use development to Austin's growing urban centre. Its integration of a public promenade, waterfront connections and multiple building programmes makes the relationship between the tower and its surrounding urban landscape a central part of the project.
KPF Team
Design Principal: James von Klemperer FAIA
Managing Principal: Forth Bagley AIA
Design Director: Andrew Klare AIA
Project Manager: Franz Prinsloo AIA
Senior Technical Designer: Hide Futura
Project Team: Yaron Birnbaum, Pedro Camara AIA, Lila Jiang Chen, Michael DeGirolamo, Juan Jimenez, Emily Kassardjian AIA, Joon Kim, Stefan Klecheski, Paulina Kolodziejczyk
Project Team
Clients: Lincoln Property Company, Kairoi Residential
Design Architect: KPF
Architect of Record: HKS Architects
Landscape Architect: TBG Partners | Nudge Design
Interior Design: Michael Hsu (Office), Studio Mai (Hotel), Ink & Oro (Residential)
General Contractor: DPR Construction
Structural Engineer: Brockett Davis Drake
Civil Engineer: WGI
MEP Engineer: Alvine
