Just a few minutes away from the State Capitol, The Austonian is within walking distance of more than 100 restaurants and nightclubs, dozens of cultural attractions and parks, as well as a tantalizing abundance of clothing and furniture boutiques. Daily needs, conveniences and indulgences are just an elevator ride away. Man-made convenience is complemented by the natural advantages of Lady Bird Lake—a block away—for a challenging run or casual stroll, or for admiring the beauty of Austin from ground level.

Amenities

Management Company
Resident Service and Satisfaction Association Management, Inc.

“Whatever the residents want!”
The Austonian Homeowners Association will be directed by David Regenbaum, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Association Management, Inc.

In 1979, David Regenbaum, a recognized expert in real estate and community association law in South Africa, retired from the law firm he founded and moved to Houston to found AMI. His objective was to set a new, exemplary standard for professional management services to associations.

Now, AMI has become the leading association management company in Texas, continuing to innovate, develop, and set new standards for the industry.

AMI provides a dedicated, professional team of people to attend to the needs of each community. Each team includes an administrator, a full-charge bookkeeper and a service counselor/administrative assistant. These teams provide high-quality, personalized service to individual communities as a small company would, while bringing to bear the resources of a large company.

The Austonian will join the ranks of AMI-managed luxury properties such as Bentwater, Carlton Woods, Gotham Lofts, Royalton at River Oaks, and Sapphire Condominiums.

Lobby
A gracious welcome for your guests; unprecedented services for you.
24-hour concierge can take care of your every need
24-hour valet service exclusively for residents and their guests
Luxuriously appointed and furnished lobby
Secured access on high-speed elevators
Housekeeping, dry cleaning and laundry services
Lobby-level retail

First Floor
Is full of Retail / Restaurants

 
Technology
A higher level of technology.

Putting technology at your fingertips is something that happens quite literally at The Austonian. One touchscreen controls your home’s climate, lighting, telephone and security systems, even music and movies that you can enjoy in any room of your home. You can schedule when lights and climate control turn on to maximize safety, security and energy savings. The system will even alert you via email or phone if there seem to be any problems with your heating or cooling.

Your touchscreen is also a helpful interface to the world outside. You or your guests can notify the valet to get your car ready and receive an alert when it is at the curb; you can make reservations at many restaurants or check movie show times and purchase tickets. Be alerted when visitors have arrived, schedule housekeeping services and report maintenance concerns. Stay informed of Home Owners Association news. Reserve the spa, massage room, Austonian Club, conference room – all of The Austonian’s amenities.

You can also observe the inside and outside of your home anytime you want, from anywhere. In fact, all the systems of your home can be remotely monitored and controlled from any telephone, PDA or via the Internet. You can even use it to monitor a second home.

Your home is also pre-wired for stereo speakers in the master bed and bath, kitchen and balcony, with surround sound in the living room and high-definition video in the master bedroom and living room. Wiring for standard security systems is installed, and your entire home features both wired and wireless Internet access.

The Austonian. It’s high technology at its highest.

10th Floor Exterior Amenities – The Lawn
Enjoy 12,000 square feet of backyard with zero hours of upkeep.
75-foot pool with fountains and in-water sitting area
Hot tub
Spacious dog park
Reflecting pool
Private luxury cabanas complete with flat screen televisions
Promenade sundeck
Outdoor kitchens
Outdoor fireplaces
Sunset viewing terraces
Herb garden
Exquisite landscaping
Capitol and SOCO Views
Wireless internet

 
10th Floor: Interior
An extension of your home, available whenever you choose.
Catering kitchen
Theater screening room with seating for 12
Executive meeting room with seating for 12 and conference technology
Four guest suites available for your overnight visitors
Private spa treatment rooms
Billiard and game room
Pet Spa

 
Media Room
Where it’s always showtime.
Reserved from your in-home touch screen
RBH high-performance speakers
Parasound Surround Sound system, the choice of Lucasfilm and Pixar
Grand Cinema ceiling-mounted HD projector
Draper 133-inch HDTV viewing screen, ceiling-mounted and motorized
Leather stadium-style seating for 12
Wireless tablet provides theater and climate controls from your seat

55th Floor Austonian Club
Where you can host parties that rise above all others.
6,000 square feet of entertaining space available exclusively for residents and their guests
360 degree views
Full catering kitchen
Buffet and bar equipment
2,100 square feet of sheltered outdoor terrace
Flexible room configuration for large or intimate occasions
Luxury seating, tables and furnishings
Wireless internet

56th Floor Fitness Center
6,000 square feet of high-level fitness facilities on our highest floor.
Resort-quality fitness equipment:
Precor AMTs, ellipticals and treadmills
Body Masters Basix workout equipment
Fluid S-250 rowing machines
Keiser M3 exercise bikes
Stott Pilates equipment
Personal TVs on each cardio machine
360 degree views
Spa treatment rooms
Private studio for group fitness classes
Yoga room
Pilates and free weights areas
Men’s and women’s restrooms
Lounge area with beverage station
Personal trainers welcome

Additional Building Features
Subtle touches that make everyday life easier.
Gated parking services
Bicycle storage
Climate-controlled wine vault
Private storage spaces
Innovative acoustical engineering to enhance quiet
Automated refuse and recycling on each floor

 
Interiors
Home Features
Hardwood floors
Marble baths
Limestone and marble countertops
Recessed lighting
Solar shades
Panoramic views
Inset balcony areas for wind protection and privacy

 
Finishes, Fixtures & Appliances
Scavolini™ Italian cabinetry in kitchen and baths
Waterworks™ bath fixtures
Dornbracht kitchen fixtures
Sub-Zero® refrigerators
Wolf® ranges
Miele dishwashers
Miele coffee systems

 
Green Features

Environmental Features
Green from the inside out. And the ground up.
From the way it’s constructed to the particular brand of luxurious living it affords, The Austonian is one of the most sustainable addresses in Austin. A long list of features has resulted in The Austonian seeking a four-star rating from the City of Austin in its Green Building Rating System, equivalent to the LEED Gold Rating from the USGBC.
Water savings.
It is estimated that The Austonian will save up to 37.6 million gallons of water each year in landscape watering alone, compared to a typical hill country community of 188 families living on one acre suburban lots. This is due not only to The Austonian community requiring little land, but also to its unique rainwater capture system, requiring no public water for landscape irrigation of the Lawn. Low-flow toilets, lavatories and shower heads are installed which will reduce the use of potable water by at least 30% over typical fixtures.

Less auto use.
The Austonian’s location puts dining, shopping, entertainment, employment and recreation within a five-minute walk, lowering the carbon footprint for every resident. Secured bicycle storage makes zero-fuel transportation an excellent option. Families in typical single family homes generate 10 vehicle trips per day. Urban living reduces the vehicle trips per day and shortens those daily vehicle trips that are needed.
Construction materials.
The Austonian residences have been designed to maximize outdoor views. Specially coated and insulated glass provides year-round energy savings and comfort by helping manage the sun’s energy and maximizing HVAC efficiency. All adhesives, sealants, paints and coatings used throughout public and private spaces adhere to the strict VOC requirements designed by the LEED’s Green Building Rating System. These low-emitting materials achieve energy savings through reduced ventilation requirements and improve indoor air quality and all come from sustainable sources. The Austonian’s roofing system combines reflective materials and other green features to minimize the building’s contribution to Austin’s urban heat island effect.

Electrical power.
Utilities are one area where saving the environment also means saving money. The Austonian has partnered with local “green power” provider, Austin Energy, to supply such efficiencies to residents. Sensors and dimming ballasts in select common areas reduce the amount of lighting used when they are unoccupied. The Austonian’s heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system operates using the Austin chilled water system, rather than using electricity and 188 or more individual HVAC units, each powering condensers and separate cooling systems. By using the chilled water system flowing under downtown Austin roadways, little energy is consumed to heat and cool The Austonian residences.

 
Services

Daily Life
Austonian Personal Assistants are at work for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Informed and professional staff can keep your home ready for you and your guests, simplify your daily life, and create experiences that reflect your individual style.
The team strives to deliver the services you need. Examples of commonly used services follow, but remember the team specializes in the uncommon. Need to put a dinner party together for unexpected guests or find that special anniversary gift? Tell the team of Austonian Personal Assistants what you need, and they will deliver.
Technology
The Austonian is the most technologically advanced residence in Austin. It’s been designed to make your life easier, but we understand it can get confusing and complicated. The AIT-360 is a comprehensive support service comprised of an elite staff of IT specialists addressing all facets of technology at The Austonian.
Spa and Fitness
The Austonian offers an array of spa and fitness services exclusive to residents and their invited guests.
Grocery Delivery, Nutrition,
and Meal Preparation
Realize your nutritional goals by making informed decisions about what you eat. Grocery delivery is available and includes offerings from local organic growers, artisanal cheese makers and grass-fed ranchers. Informed nutritionists are available for consulting and customized meal delivery can be arranged to meet your dietary needs. The Austonian features private catering kitchens available for professional use, making party preparation easy.

Vehicle Care
Owning a vehicle is made easy at The Austonian, with 24-hour parking specialists available to retrieve and park your vehicle. The Austonian offers additional vehicle-related services including car washes, maintenance delivery and more
Pets at The Austonian
Pets have a special place at The Austonian – their own secured park where they can get some exercise while you enjoy the 10th-story view of the capitol and downtown Austin. The lap of luxury doesn’t stop there for our four-legged friends. See our list of available services to pamper your pet and help make your life just a little bit easier.
Entertaining
Whether you are relaxing with a newspaper and enjoying the view of the Hill Country, planning a gala event or entertaining in a pinch, The Austonian team can help you create a signature experience that reflects your personal style.

 
More info

Austonian
200 Congress Ave
Completion in 2010

Overview
- 56 Floors / 683 Feet
- 188 Units
- Units from 1,221 – 8,379 SF
- Unit Types: -

Pricing
- Least Expensive Unit: $559,000 ($457/SF)
- Most Expensive Unit: $8,000,000+

Amenities
- Concierge: Y
- Pool: Y
- Gym: Y
- Parking: Y
- 24-hour concierge and security services, 24-hour valet service, housekeeping, dry cleaning and laundry services, Lobby-level retail, Secure climate controlled wine storage, Billiard room, 4 Guest suites, Private spa treatment rooms, Screening room with seating for 12, Conference room, Swimming pool, fitness center.

Construction Information
- Completion in 2010
- Current Phase: Construction
- Zoning Status: Approved
- Budget: $200 Million
- Total SF: 850,000 (600,000 Residential)
- Cost / SF: $400
- Developer: Second Congress Ltd., an affiliate of Austin-based Benchmark Development
- Architects: -

Sales Information
- Sales Office: 300 West Sixth St.
- Broker: Moreland
- Phone: 512-623-3633
- Website: http://www.theaustonian.com

Austin City Lofts features a private lap pool and spa, fire pit and communal cooking area, on-site secured parking, a porter and concierge service, Hill Country and Downtown views, and large private balconies.

Another unique building in Austin, Texas The 5 Fifty Five is a residential building on top of a hotel.  The architecture is both contemporary and timeless.  First we will talk about the residential building and in the next article I will talk a little about the hotel.  The residents of the 5 Fifty Five live a truly luxurious lifestyle with the elite services and amenities offered.

The 99 residential suites feature beautiful interiors, gourmet kitchens and the finest finishes. 

The 5 Fifty Five offers the top 99 condo units above the downtown Hilton. The suites range in a variety of one-, two-, and three-bedroom designs ranging from approximately eight hundred to over five thousand square feet.  Private residence elevators and a separate resident parking garage area. The private resident lobby…spacious yet intimate, with striking finishes and plush, intimate seating. State-of-the-art concierge desk. The exclusive staff includes twenty-four hour lobby attendant, concierge, porter, hospitality officer, and housekeeping coordination. 

The properties offer fantastic panorama views of Town Lake & Hill Country.  Private balconies at every residence, floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows, dramatic, high ceilings, kitchens featuring maple cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances with gas cooking, recessed lighting, elegant travertine stone bathrooms, hardwood floors.  The 5 Fifty Five is located on 5th St. across from the Austin Convention Center.

The residential units in the Austin 360 Condominiums Tower features a lighted glass spire facing Town Lake, street-level retail, large balconies for each unit, limestone accents at street level and decorative metal panels created by local Austin artists. Inside, each unit includes floor-to-ceiling glass walls, kitchens with granite and stainless steel finishes, tall ceiling heights, high-speed Internet access, TV monitors in elevators, 24-hour concierge services and a prominent lobby featuring a virtual art gallery that digitally displays art on lobby plasma screens.  The Austin 360 Condominiums Tower was completed on May 22nd, 2008 and was named Tallest building in Austin Texas as of June 2008 surpassing Frost Bank Tower.

Few Facts

The name “360″ was inspired by Austin’s history of having “360″ in the names of many things such as Loop 360, the Pennybacker Bridge, which is also known as the Loop 360 Bridge. The name was also given to the building for the 360 degree views that the building will have of downtown.

The building has 13,500 square feet of street level retail.

The building has a terrace level above the 17th floor at 174 feet 2 inches above the street. The podium level, which contains the swimming pool and sundeck above the 8th floor, will be 87 feet 6 inches above the street.

The building is the tallest all residential building in Texas, surpassing Mercantile Building in Dallas.

The final section of the spire was hoisted into place at 9:18 AM CST on January 15, 2008.

Surpassed the Frost Bank Tower to become the tallest building in Austin. The building is also one of only two in the city that is not on Congress Avenue to hold the title of tallest in the city.

The other was the Dobie Center.The 44-story, 432-unit glass tower in downtown Austin The Austin 360 Condominiums’ resort style amenity deck features a full-sized pool and an outdoor living room that includes a fireplace, cabanas and outdoor grills. An upscale fitness center includes advanced cardio equipment with West Austin views and a social center that includes a kitchen, Internet kiosks, and an entertainment area featuring plasma screen TVs and lush landscaping.

Companies involved in this Building*

architect: Preston Partnership, LLC Other firms: Novare Group, Andrews Urban LLC, J.E. Dunn Construction, Echelon Engineering, LLC, Jordan & Skala Engineers, Inc., Doucet & Associates, Terracon Consulting Engineers & Scientists, Prudential Life Insurance CO., Wachovia Bank.

This new plant manufactures NAND flash memory chips, which are widely used in a host of consumer- related products, such as MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras, and other mobile devices.  This is the largest semiconductor fab in Austin, Texas.

Here you can see the new Austin , Texas  Samsung Wafer Plant under construction here you see steel rebar and concrete.

Moonlight towers are lighting structures designed to illuminate large areas of a city at night.

The structures were popular in the late nineteenth century among smaller cities across the United States and Europe, when standard street-lighting systems — using smaller, shorter, and more numerous lamps — were impractically expensive. The towers were designed to illuminate more city area at once via electric lighting. Arc lamps were the most common method of illumination, though they were known for their exceptionally bright and harsh light.

As regular street lighting grew more popular, the prevalence of moonlight tower systems began to wane.

Moonlight towers in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas is the only city in the world, known to still operate a system. The towers are 165 feet tall and have a fifteen foot foundation. This type of tower was manufactured in Indiana by Fort Wayne Electric Company and assembled onsite.  In 1894, the City of Austin purchased 31 used lighting towers from Detroit. A single tower cast light from six carbon arc lamps, illuminating a 3000 foot (920 meters) radius circle brightly enough to read a watch.

When first installed, the towers were connected to their own electric generators at the Austin dam (near present day Tom Miller Dam). Over the years they were switched from their original carbon-arc lamps (which were exceedingly bright and time consuming to maintain) to incandescent lamps in the 1920’s, and mercury vapor lamps in the 1930’s. Mercury vapor lighting allowed the installation of a switch at each tower’s base. During World War II, a central switch was installed, allowing citywide blackouts in case of air raids.

In 1993 the city of Austin dismantled the towers and restored every bolt, turnbuckle and guy wire as part of a $1.3 million project, the completion of which was celebrated in 1995 with a city-wide festival.

Each tower weighs in at 2 tons. Most of the structure consists of a triangular metal lattice, commonly used for radio antenna supports today. The lattice sits on top of a single 15-foot pole and so must be secured by guy wires attached to each of the three corners of the lattice and strung outward away from the structure.

above is the Moonlight Tower in Zilker Park the lights are connected to the wooden post seen in the back.

Since 1965 the Moonlight Tower in Zilker Park has served as Austin’s Christmas Tree. The normal guy wires are supplemented by additional strands that contain over 3,300 lights that form a conical “tree” for the entire city. A favorite pastime of young and old alike is to spin under the tree while looking up at the lights, then trying to stand upright and fight off the resulting dizzying sensation.

This building contains over 525,000 sq. ft of leasable space.   The tower is finished in an energy efficient blue glass. This type of glass is only known to have been used on one other building, the Reuters Building at 3 Times Square in New York City. 

The signature 33-story Trophy tower features 560,674 square feet of premier office space in the heart of the Central Business District on the corner of Congress Avenue and Fourth Street, just blocks from the State Capitol.  Most people in Austin call this the nose clipper building. It’s the tallest building here right now but not for long.  The lower floors of the structure are finished in limestone.

Interesting Facts:

The crown of the tower contains more than an acre of glass.

Per tradition, tin crosses were embedded in the concrete on every floor.  The last cross was added at 9 pm on May 27, 2003 to the penthouse. The idea came from a story about an immigrant who worked on construction during the 1940s in New York City.

Cousins Properties contends that at the time of its groundbreaking, “this was the tallest building in America to have started construction after the September 11th attacks”. 
 

The height of the tower crane used during construction was 600 feet tall. This broke a record as the tallest ever used in Austin at that time.

Over 200,000 square feet of glass was used in the facade of the tower; 45,000 square feet of glass was used in the crown, about one acre’s worth (materials in the crown alone cost $1.5 million).

Four Frost Bank logo signs were added above the main roof. The logos are 20 feet in diameter. The signs are now the highest signs on a skyscraper in Austin at approximately 420 feet high.

Floorplates range in size from 16,826 to 25,856 square feet.

May 28, 2003, the building has its topping out ceremony for the main roof and mechanical penthouse. A 30-foot cedar tree was hoisted to the top of the mechanical penthouse.

The project includes a plaza with a restaurant, a workout facility and high-speed elevators.  conference facilities, dry-cleaner, full-service bank, ATM, deli/carry-out restaurants, coffee shop, overnight courier drop box, and a fitness center. In addition, the property features an 11-level parking garage with more than 1,400 parking spaces. Frost Bank Tower is easily accessible to and from Mopac Expressway and Interstate 35.

Tallest building in Austin when it opened.

The building’s lighting design won Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design Inc. the 2004 IALD Award of Merit.

 It was the first high-rise building to be constructed in the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks.

designed by Duda/Paine Architects, LLP and HKS, Inc.

 It has the title for tallest logo above ground in the city.

During construction, the building was derided by some locals for having a garish design. However the building was also voted the best new building by Austin Chronicle readers in 2004.

record-setting deal for more than $354 per square foot, a total of $188 million, signed Thursday.

The Frost Bank Tower will be acquired by the Chicago-based Equity Office Properties Trust, the nation’s largest publicly owned office building manager
  

In 2006 The Frost Bank Tower was sold for at the time a record price of $354 per sq. ft. to the Chicago-based Equity Office Properties Trust, the nation’s largest publicly owned office building manager for a total price of $188 million.
  

Tenants include Jenkins & Gilchrist, Winstead, Sechrest & Minick, and Constructors and Associates.

Companies involved in this Building*

architect: HKS, Inc., Duda/Paine Architects, LLP Other firms: Thomas Properties Group, LLC, Cousins Properties Inc., Constructors & Associates Inc., C. Young & Company, Brockette Davis Drake, Inc., Michael E. James & Associates, Inc., Susman Tisdale Gayle Architects, Inc., Turner Collie & Braden, Inc., Cline Bettridge Berstein Lighting Design, Spectrum Lighting Inc., Cousins Properties Inc., Security Management Consulting, Texas Crane Services, Capform Inc., Myrex Industries, Bludau Fabrication, Inc., Haley-Greer, Inc., Morgan Stanley, Constructors & Associates Inc., Dewey Ballantine LLP, Graves Dougherty Hearon and Moody PC, Jenkens & Gilchrist PC, Winstead Sechrest & Minick PC, Frost National Bank, University of Texas Investment Management Co, Heritage Title Co.

Table of contents for Bridges

1. Bang Na Expressway
2. Lake Pontchatrain Causeway
3. Manchac Swamp bridge
4. Hangzhou Bay Bridge
5. Runyang Bridge
6. Donghai Bridge
7. Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
8. Binhai Mass Transit
9. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
10. 6th October Bridge

The 10th longest bridge in the world as of this posting and 10th on our list is  the 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt.  The bridge is 12.74 miles long, connection part of the city highway to the Cairo International Airport.  The people of Cairo call this bridge, the spinal cord of Cairo because half the city travels on it daily.  The bridge is usually croweded due to everyone useing it and can take as long as 45 minutes to cross when traffic is heavy.  The bridge was under construction for 30 years and was finnaly finnished in 1996.

Table of contents for Bridges

1. Bang Na Expressway
2. Lake Pontchatrain Causeway
3. Manchac Swamp bridge
4. Hangzhou Bay Bridge
5. Runyang Bridge
6. Donghai Bridge
7. Atchafalaya Basin Bridge
8. Binhai Mass Transit
9. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
10. 6th October Bridge

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is a 23 mile long bridge and tunnel system that connects southeastern Virginia with Delmarva Peninsula in the United States.  The bridge connects the following independent cities Virginia Beach, and Norfolk, Virginia to Cape Charles in Northampton County along the eastern shore of Virginia.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel uses a combo of tunnels and bridges over two separated shipping channels using four artificial islands built in the bay as portals.

The bridge-tunnel was opened on April 15th, 1964, in August 1987 it was officially named the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge-Tunnel after one of the civic leaders who worked for its development.  However, it still is best known as Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. 

The bridge part of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel as far as I can know is 15.6 Miles long which is why this bridge is placed at number at the worlds 9th longest bridge and 7th longest over water and 4th longest bridge in the USA and 8th longest that is used by autos. 

The above water part of the bridge was upgraded in 1995-1999 from 2 lanes to a 4 lanes at a cost of $200 million

After the bridge-tunnel opened in 1964, it was selected as One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World by American Society of Civil Engineers, however it has been replaced on this list since with more recent engineering wonders.