TA24-J F-Pages - Flipbook - Page 100
98 Texas Architect
1/2 2024
The new space allows for improved experiences for public events and includes a wall for
donor recognition.
PBS raised $10 million in an initial capital campaign for the project, which
was ended early by the onset of COVID-19. The project’s construction was
delayed by the pandemic and, again, when just two weeks prior to moving in,
a 昀氀ood caused by Winter Storm Uri wreaked extensive damage to the building
and its brand-new equipment. It’s a testament to both the Austin PBS team
and Studio Steinbomer that they were able to weather these storms and deliver
such a relevant, inspiring, and technically pro昀椀cient outcome.
I’ve had the good fortune of living in Austin at a time when there are
unprecedented resources available to the city’s civic and creative organizations.
That is a real boon for residents, as we get better parks, arts facilities, and civic
amenities. At the same time, we haven’t let go of our scrappy spirit. Whether
you’re building what may become one of live music’s most famous backdrops
with everyday materials or designing a state-of-the-art TV station in an old
Dillard’s, use what you can, and be creative!
Penny Snyder is a writer and recent graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at
the University of Texas at Austin.
BOTTOM PHOTO THIS PAGE AND BOTTOM RIGHT FACING BY MATTHEW BATISTA; ALL
OTHER PHOTOS BY ANDREA CALO
The studio has a cavernous feel since it’s built on top of the largest 昀氀oating acoustical slab in Texas, and it has an additional set of walls to help with
soundproo昀椀ng. The rigs that hold production lighting can be controlled by a
remote, so sta昀昀ers don’t have to climb up to conduct maintenance or make
adjustments. With highly customized features, including a retractable moviesize 昀椀lm screen and retractable platformed audience seating, the large room
can easily be converted to host public events — from 昀椀lm screenings to a gala
with table seating.
In addition, the Austin Media Center has two more studio spaces. One is
the home of ACC Television (ACCTV), the community college’s public media
outlet. The other is Studio C, reserved for Austin PBS shows that aren’t 昀椀lmed
in front of a studio audience. The designers took advantage of the site’s partially subgrade space: Broadcast control and editing rooms, which need to be
dark, are concentrated in the submerged portion of the site, whereas Austin
PBS administrative o昀케ces and collaborative spaces are organized around
exterior windows. Studio Steinbomer also equipped the Austin Media Center
with circadian rhythm lighting throughout the complex, so even areas that
receive no natural light mimic the natural phases of light from dawn to dusk.
More than 100 miles of data cabling snake through the center, converging
in the server and machine room. With the tuberous HVAC units to prevent
overheating and candy-colored coils of cabling, the room reminded me of
Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper machine. Studio Steinbomer intentionally left the cables, which connect the studios, media server room, and
the control room, visible to highlight the infrastructure that makes public
broadcasts possible. With this improved broadcasting functionality, the Austin
Media Center is now the largest 12G facility in the United States.
Although the dramatically improved production spaces are a fundamental
part of the project, perhaps what is most exciting to the Austin PBS leadership
is the studio’s increased public presence. “The 昀椀rst thing that comes to mind is
community,” says Austin PBS CEO Luis Patiño, connecting the new building
with the station’s renewed mission of inclusion and access. “Last night, we had
new community members that probably were not our traditional audience
come and experience what Austin PBS is all about,” he adds.
With smart design by Studio Steinbomer and expert direction by the client,
it feels as if the Austin Media Center tuned the dial in on Austin PBS’s mission. If their presence in their previous space was fuzzy, disconnected, and
low-resolution, the signal is coming in clear now.
The building’s exterior facade boasts Austin Community College and
Austin PBS signs in equal measure. The designers took ample advantage of
the natural light that streams in from the 昀椀rst-昀氀oor level of the building, creating a three-story atrium space with the Austin PBS logo as the focal point. As
visitors head down the stairs, they’re greeted by community meeting spaces, a
box o昀케ce, and a casual seating area. Austin PBS sta昀昀ers have already put the
Austin Media Center to good use, hosting their own public events and renting
out spaces on a sliding scale to community members ranging from CapMetro
to Texas teachers.
From the inside out, the public areas of the space telegraph a welcoming,
somewhat whimsical aura that be昀椀ts a public television station associated with
acclaimed children’s programming and everyday creativity for adults alike.
The entryway to the gender-neutral, single-stall restrooms is painted with the
rainbow bars of a holding pattern. Each stall features an “On Air” light when
a restroom is locked and in use. One stall features a test pattern that Austin
PBS CEO Patiño encouraged me to take a sel昀椀e with when I visited. Nearby,
a vibrant new mural by Austin artist Fabian Rey ri昀昀s on the tripartite PBS logo
with three 昀椀gures that beckon viewers to “Please Stand By Us.”
Deeper in the Austin Media Center’s o昀케ces were two of the ACL panels I
had seen in art storage. The rest of the set had been auctioned o昀昀 and raised
$270,000 toward the cost of the new construction project. In total, Austin
