Herrera Law Office by Clayton Korte

Clayton Korte reveals design for Herrera Law Office, a new courtyard-style building surrounded by live oak trees in Austin, Texas...

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From the architect: After years of renting office space in downtown Austin, the clients wanted to invest in a permanent home for their boutique utility and administrative-law practice. This project offers an opportunity to create a workspace that will meet their specific needs and reflect their personality and taste: professional yet comfortable, expressive yet restrained.

The small urban site is only 7,700-square-feet, bounded by streets on three sides, and is home to three heritage live oak trees. These constraints are embraced as design opportunities, elevating the main occupiable space above parking and weaving the building around the trees to provide abundant views from the interior and a dynamic façade from the exterior. The new 5,800-square-foot building successfully meets the needs of the client, while remaining respectful of its site and context.

Allowing natural light to flood the interior spaces is a key design element. The massing incorporates a central light well that allows daylight to penetrate deep into the interior as well as highlight the entry as approached from both the street and the parking.  All private offices ring the perimeter of the building, ensuring each has access to natural light. Windows frame views of the beautiful live oak tree canopies, and the south and west offices embrace views of the large neighborhood park across the street. 

Materials, inside and out, are carefully considered to meet the client’s vision. The exterior brick and stucco are modern and clean, while also hinting at the craft of construction in their textures. This relatively desaturated exterior palette is complemented with pops of wood accents throughout the interior.  A wood soffit flows from the exterior to interior at the entry, and wood stair treads, office dividers and paneled walls punctuate the space with warmth.

The project’s expected completion date is summer 2022.

Architect: Clayton Korte
Client: Herrera Law & Associates, PLLC
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Project Architect: Travis Greig
Project Manager: Charlotte Baham
Design Lead: Joe Boyle
Associate Parttner: George Wilcox
Interior Designer: Clayton Korte
General Contractor: Austin Canyon Corporation
Structural Engineer: Fort Structures
MEP Engineer: Dialectic Engineering
Civil Engineer: Way Consulting Engineers