Austin’s soon-to-be tallest building breaks ground
KXAN (NBC affiliate) | Jan. 11, 2016
A major development project gets underway in Austin Monday morning. Today marks the ground breaking for The Independent, the tallest residential building west of the Mississippi passing the Austonian. The former Austin Energy Control Center Building located at the corner of West and Third Streets will be demolished to make room for a 58 story 685 foot tall building that will be two feet and two stories taller than the Austonian.
The jagged design of the building has some referring to it as the Jenga building, but the developer says it reflects the constant movement of our city. Once complete, The Independent could be one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the city with LEED Gold Certification, the second highest distinction. Green additions to the building include: rain water gardens, water collected from the AC units to irrigate the site, and special glass windows to keep the sun from heating up the units.