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.