Innovative New City Hall Complex Re-Uses Agricultural Buildings

by Antenora Architects LLP
(Austin, Texas)

The new Hutto, Texas, City Hall will recycle a former cotton gin and grain silos in a green design that will accommodate community needs in a fast-growing city. Antenora Architects LLP is designing the new government center that features adaptive reuse of agricultural structures. Earlier the Austin-based architecture, planning and interior design firm led the planning for the Hutto Co-op District.
The plan for this 18-acre complex includes a new city hall, a public park with amphitheater and a multi-use building.

When the $7 million project is complete next year, citizens will enjoy a modern, eclectic city hall. Grain silos will be converted into the council chambers, a new park will appear, and a sustainable power cogeneration plant will lower energy costs.

One of the town's most famous landmarks, a long horizontal metal silo locally known as "The Long Building," will be reused to a large extent as a temporary city hall and flexible space.

A community design process called a charrette allowed the community to gather ideas from citizens, city staff, city council and local businesses. The community didn't want to lose its roots as an agricultural community. Keeping a reminder of the cotton gins and grain silos was important to the original residents.

Hutto's rapid population growth led to the desire for a new civic building. The city's population grew from 1,250 in 2000 to an estimated population 17,120 in 2010.

The project will include a cogeneration power plant that will generate an efficient combination of electricity, steam and chilled water at the same time.

Editors' Comment: We love this asset-based community development approach well.