PGH Engineers

The new PGH Engineers project site is located in the Austin ETJ, with frontage onto Hwy 71 west of Oak Hill, in a largely residential area with few commercial developments.  This context initiated a number of design discussions with the client on natural materials and building forms that culminated in the selection of metal standing seam wall panels, bleached tongue-and-groove pine wood, blackened steel and Texas sandstone as the exterior material palette.   The floor plan is a simple double-loaded office corridor layout that works with the contours of the sloping site, with a central lobby, conference rooms and break areas utilizing high-roofed design elements and large storefront windows for enhanced natural light.  A board-formed concrete plinth serves both as an accessible entry and an extended porch on the front of the building. Above this, the bleached wooden exterior entry soffit leads visitors into the lobby and transforms into a curated wall display for the owner’s collection of ornate geodes and historic geological texts.