Rhode Partners takes Staff Trip to CTBUH to Receive Award of Excellence

December 7, 2022

Rhode Partners and its senior staff took a trip to Chicago this month to attend Tall Excellence, the leading international conference on vertical urbanism by Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The CTBUH Awards program recognizes projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, representing the best innovations in the typology, and the firm is honored to be recognized among some of the most notable firms in the world.

The firm accepted an Award of Excellence for The Independent and its residential design, which is not only the first building in Texas to receive this accolade but also the only Texas building recognized by the 2022 CTBUH Awards. Among the Best Tall Building project winners for Residential/Hotel design, The Independent was in good company alongside firms like SHoP, Henning Larsen, and Henke Schreieck Architekten. Just last year, the Austin skyscraper won an Award of Excellence from CTBUH for Interior Design celebrating the tower’s elegant, museum-influenced interiors that feature built-in furnishings, luxury furniture and over 80 commissioned pieces from 23 artists.

The Independent is a LEED-Gold Certified skyscraper that shapes the every-changing Austin-skyline. The tallest residential building west of the Mississippi River, the 58-story tower comprises 363 apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms along with 20,000 square feet of amenity space. The firm conceived of an innovative approach to the challenging parameters of the project, designing a central circulation core punctuated by four striking cantilevered sections, enabled by exposed structural supports. This configuration allows for expansive views of the city and spacious interior configurations. The Independent prioritizes sustainability and is net energy neutral for a significant portion of the year. For instance, by incorporating technologies like a 75-kilowatt solar power system and a rainwater collection system, it creates renewable energy and water resources onsite.

The Independent

Staff photo at the award ceremony

Brett Rhode, AIA LEED AP, gives a presentation on The Independent

Kris Swanson of DCI Engineers presents with Rhode Partners at the conference

Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang speaks at the conference

Brett Rhode accepts Award of Excellence for The Independent for Best Tall Building in the Residential/Hotel category

Suhash Patel, AIA, of Rhode Partners

Wes Haynie, AIA, poses with famous Cloud Gate sculpture

(From left to right) Alexer Taganas, AIA, Bobby Tait, AIA LEED AP, Suhash Patel, AIA, Natalie Loftus, David Larrew, AIA, Rob Brolin, AIA.

Rhode Partners architects test structural integrity at the Willis Tower

The Independent was also the case study explored in the presentation “Responsive Formgiving: Redefining High-Density Urban Living” that took place at the event. Brett Rhode and Kris Swanson from DCI Engineers discussed the challenge of building this tower and how this was possible through a collaboration between architecture and engineering to bring ingenuity to sustainable, high-density, urban living.

In addition to the award festivities, Rhode Partners staff spent two days in sessions dedicated to advancements in vertical design and construction, evenings enjoying Chicago’s incredible culinary scene, and made a trip to the Chicago Art Institute to admire some of their incredible collection.

Of winning this award and The Independent’s design, Founding Director Brett Rhode says “Our goal for this project was to further the dialog between architecture and structure while creating a strong presence on the skyline. In this way, The Independent is more than just another pretty building on the Austin skyline and reflects Austin’s amazing creative spirit. We are honored to receive this award on behalf of our entire team and hope The Independent inspires thinking about sustainability and local character for large scale projects.”

More images of The Independent can be found on the project page.