St. David’s Performance Center

Austin

Award of Merit

Owner Austin FC

Lead Design Firm Gensler

GC Harvey-Cleary Builders 

Civil Garza + CBD

Structural Walter P Moore

MEP Henderson Engineers

Landscape Architect TBG Partners

Owner’s Representative CAA Icon 

The new performance center serves as home to Major League Soccer team Austin FC. The design and construction team created a training facility that provides strength and conditioning areas, medical clinic and hydrotherapy spaces, communal dining and office spaces. A main project challenge was allowing enough time for the natural turf pitches to grow in before Austin FC moved in. Natural turf had to be laid on the pitches prior to start of construction of the main building. The project team prereleased a custom-blended turf and coordinated for it to be grown in Scottsdale, Ariz., well ahead of the start of construction. During turf installation, vertical steel work began on the building. The project team was able to complete the facility two months ahead of schedule in August 2021. Despite significant increases in labor costs during the two-year project, it came in under budget.