For the month of December, Archinect is shining a Spotlight on Austin, Texas.

Aside from being the Texas state capital, Austin is a major node in the thriving Texas Triangle mega-region, the urban agglomeration that includes Houston, Dallas-Forth Worth, and San Antonio. 

The region is home to nearly 18 million people, produces upwards of $1.2 trillion in economic output, and contains a majority of the state's 8,560 architecture and 785,444 construction jobs, sectors that are both projected to continue growing over the next decade. 

Home to University of Texas at Austin and its 500-student program—its undergraduate division is currently ranked 9th in the country by Design Intelligence—Austin itself is also a locus for some of the state's most successful and inventive architecture offices, professional and academic, alike, including Lake | Flato, A Parallel Architecture, Gensler, DLR Group, Clayton & Little, Rhode Partners, Office for Local Architecture, and many others. This collection of corporate, boutique, and mid-sized firms positions Austin to lead the state in terms of new design approaches, public realm experiments, and other innovative building approaches. 

A push to build 135,000 housing units and a growing technology industry scene mean that many new building projects are currently either in the works or on the drawing board, while a forthcoming High-Speed Rail line connecting Dallas and Houston has the potential for spillover economic impacts across the region.

• Apple begins construction on $1 billion campus in Austin
• Austin says yes to 135,000 new housing units
• Pelli Clarke Pelli, Gensler projects reshape Austin's skyline
• Apple begins construction on $1 billion campus in Austin
• Michelle Addington discusses her new deanship at UT Austin and the educational opportunities arising from the political hotbed that is Texas

Over the next month, keep an eye out for our Studio Snapshots, Deans List, Fellow Fellows, and other recurring series that will highlight Austin-based practices, academics, and designers.  

Austin is the latest city receive the Spotlight treatment. In previous months, Archinect has focused on Seattle, New York City, Chicago, and Detroit. In January, our focus will shift to Los Angeles. Until then, keep a look out for the Spotlight on Austin tag to check in on what's going on in the capital of the Lone Star State.