Internationally revered architecture firm Herzog & De Meuron  is making its first foray into Austin — and to Texas, for that matter — with a five-story, block-encompassing, mass-timber building. The Swiss Pritzker-winner has been tapped to design Sixth & Blanco, a tone-setting redevelopment of 2.5 acres in Clarksville's West Sixth Street district.

Austin's McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality and Riverside Resources are developing the property on the north side of West Sixth Street between Baylor and Blanco streets. The development will occupy the full block and will incorporate restored 1920s-era buildings and parts of buildings with a new mass timber building.

“The building is, in essence, a horizontally stacked structure which steps back and decreases in density as it grows taller to maximize daylight and make room for landscaped gardens, courtyards, and porches on all levels.” — Simon Demeuse, Herzog & de MeuronHerzog & de Meuron

Sixth and Blanco will have over 50,000 square feet of new retail and restaurants on the first two floors.Herzog & de Meuron

Connectivity with the outdoors is achieved through a planted entry court, strategically placed light wells, and multiple private terraces.Herzog & de Meuron

The project includes 10 three- to four-bedroom, 4,600-plus-square-foot residences on its top two floors — nine two-story homes accessible via a circular staircase and one single-floor unit. In addition, it will have a hotel with resident/guest amenities, a private members' club, public gardens, and 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurants on the first two floors. Sales for the 10 residences were launched Thursday. MML did not make prices available in a press release announcing the start of sales.

Each residence is has a loft-style wooden structure that integrates the kitchen, dining area, and living room into one continuous space. Herzog & de Meuron

Buyers will have their choice of finishes within the homes, including different options of either wood or tile flooring, countertops, cabinetry, bathroom materiality, and more allowing for a high level of customization.Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron

Working with the developers and executive architect Page Southerland Page, Herzog & de Meuron "will introduce an architecture vernacular that takes key ingredients from the site’s surrounding context and fills it with a continuous horizontal wooden structure that prominently features materials aligned with Austin’s historic fabric and unique sense of place," according to a press release, which also mentions "abundant natural light, exposed wood, and extensive use of organic materials sourced from Texas, Mexico, and the broader Southwest region."

Sixth & Blanco is the first mixed-use development by MML, a partnership between Austin hospitality veterans Larry McGuire, Tom Moorman, and Liz Lambert. 

The building will have multiple terraces.Herzog & de Meuron

Herzog & de Meuron

Sixth and Blanco’s spa and bath houseHerzog & de Meuron

The redevelopment marks the first time a Herzog & De Meuron design will (presumably) be realized in Texas — something could have happened 20 years ago with the Blanton Museum, had the University of Texas regents not futzed with the firm's contemporary design to the point of impasse, causing it and the the UT architecture dean to resign in protest. 

Construction of Sixth and Blanco is scheduled to begin the first quarter of of 2024, and the private residences are scheduled to be delivered in 2026. Kumara Wilcoxon of Kuper Sotheby’s is the sales and marketing agent for residences, which are not yet listed on Kuper Sotheby's or her site.