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The Mitte Foundation headquarters is located in Austin on a site offering panoramic views of rolling hills and a natural basin beyond. Mitte occupies one side of the building and the insurance company, Investor's Life, the other side. Although it was Mitte's intention from the beginning to provide outdoor spaces for the enjoyment of occupants, these spaces remained undeveloped after the building was completed. Land Design Studio of Austin was called in to provide landscape concepts for outdoor rooftops and terraces. "Mitte wanted to do something interesting, but they didn't know just what to do," explains Land Design's Brent Baker. "The goal was to create places so inviting that people would enjoy using them for breaks and social gatherings. The unique thing about this project is that it was post initial construction. Everything had to be done from the outside - we had to use cranes to get the materials up on the rooftops." |
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Land Design created landscapes for three terraces, ranging in size from 200 to 400 square feet. The largest, used by Investor's Life, is situated on the executive wing. The smallest, used by Mitte Foundation employees, is a courtyard located on top of the building. The third is an adjunct lobby and is used as an extension of the cafeteria underneath the terrace as a place for employees to sit at lunch and enjoy the views. The design solutions combine terracotta and grey tiles, tables and chairs with Landscape Forms' year-round aluminum umbrellas in a cafe-like setting, potted native plants, and trellises planted with vines to create a lush green retreat. "Shade is utmost here in Texas." Baker says. "If you don't have it, people won't use the space. But we couldn't use trees on the rooftops because the weight of the soil would be too much for the building. So we used pots to provide color and texture and plants and vines - more urban forms - to give shade." Lighting was incorporated into the design to permit night use of these inviting outdoor environments. |
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