Location: Austin, Texas
Owner: City of Austin, Department of Aviation
Awards: Honor Award, Texas ASLA, 2001
The office of J. Robert Anderson designed the new all-native entrance and 1.8-mile access drive for Austin’s new airport. The landscape project was completed in 2001, costing $3,500,000. The airport entrance features a 400-foot-long, rock-lined waterscape that winds along the main entry median. One part of the water feature is also the main sign for the airport, focusing the attention of arriving passengers on Austin’s commitment to being an environmentally sensitive community. Roadside plantings along the stone walls add seasonal color, create a buffer around utilities and parking lots, and evoke a sense of rhythm during the drive into and out of the airport. The entrance waterfall defines Austin as a place of nature at the city’s “front door.”