Hines Breaks Ground on Austin Mass Timber Project
JLL will handle leasing for the mixed-use property.
Hines has broken ground on T3 Eastside, a heavy timber mixed-use, transit-oriented development in Austin’s East submarket. The project, constructed with sustainably sourced wood, will include 93,000 square feet of Class A office space along with a 9,200-square-foot residential component across 15 lofts.
With an 18-month construction timeline, the three-story project is expected to come online mid-2023. Hines has opted for JLL to market the upcoming project and turned to Amegy Bank for financing.
READ ALSO: T3 Eastside: Behind Hines’ 1st Austin Office Project in 40 Years
T3 Eastside will take shape at 1200 E. Fourth St. and will also include below-grade parking offering a ratio of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet. The development team includes DLR Group as design architect and interior designer of the common areas, as well as TBG as landscape architect and Harvey Cleary as general contractor.
Planned amenities include a fitness center, locker rooms equipped with showers, a tenant lounge, a conference room, a secured bike storage, private balconies and a rooftop patio. The mixed-use property is easily accessible with the Plaza Saltillo light rail station just a few blocks away and less than a mile away from Interstate 35. Downtown Austin is within 2 miles.
A more environmentally friendly approach
T3 Eastside is part of Hines’ T3 creative concept that stands for timber, transit and technology. While the current project marks Hines’ first T3 project with a residential element, the company first implemented this model during the construction of T3 Minneapolis, a 10-story office property completed in late 2016.
Last July, another developer, Columbia Property Trust, chose mass timber for the construction of a 105,000-square-foot office in Washington, D.C., dubbed 80 M Street. If the trend continues and enough developers opt for this approach, by 2034, the North American building industry could potentially store more carbon dioxide—the leading cause of climate change—than it produces, according to a 2021 report issued by the Forest Business Network.
This method will allow T3 Eastside to have a lower carbon footprint. Based on T3 Eastside’s brochure, the property will store more than 2,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide, while also avoiding the release of 900 metric tons of CO2.
