The second Jenga Tower we want to tell you about is the Independent, a 363 unit, $300 million, 58 story condo project in downtown Austin, Texas. This one, deemed by the Austin American Statesman "as one of Austin’s newest downtown ‘vertical neighborhoods’,” the 685 foot tall Independent is, for the moment, the tallest building in Austin and the tallest residential tower west of the Mississippi River.
Developed by Austin based Aspen Heights Partners, LA-based CIM Group and Austin based Constructive Ventures, the tower adds a distinctive Jenga profile to the Austin skyline. According to the Statesman, “Locals have nicknamed the building ‘the Jenga Tower’” and the name seems to have stuck. The Independent, according to locals, will make a signature statement on the downtown Austin skyline that will identify Austin around the world.
The building, built on a site with several issues including the view corridor for the state capitol, was designed by local architects at the Rhode: Partners firm and built by Balfour Beatty. The building is 95% sold, 35% occupied and ready to become one of the iconic Jenga Towers in this current wave of Jenga design across the US.
Brett Rhode, principal of the firm tells the story of how the design evolved to meet the needs of the developers and tenants as well as to address the challenges of the site in an article in the Statesman. He credits the structural engineers, DCI Engineers with making it possible to build the unique design in downtown Austin..
The skyline of Austin is changing weekly and The Independent is one of the most notable towers that is offering luxury downtown living in Austin, the city with the motto – “Keep Austin Weird.”
