Hotel Magdalena

Located in the heart of Austin’s South Congress neighborhood, Hotel Magdalena is the first mass timber boutique hotel in North America. The wood structure honors the history of the site, including the former 1950s Austin Terrace Motel, which was previously constructed of exposed heavy timber beams and columns in the mid-century modern aesthetic. Through its carefully crafted environment, Hotel Magdalena provides an oasis for guests to enjoy within one of Austin’s most beloved neighborhoods.

The Hotel Magdalena created a sense of longing - it's absolutely a place you want to be. From the site planning with the courtyard in the center with the native landscaping, which was really elegant, and the common spaces on the outside, there is a concern for sustainability that both affords energy savings and amazing architectural effects. Jury

AIA Austin Design Award for Excellence

The 5-building complex was designed around the existing Live Oak heritage trees, which become the focal points for outdoor gathering spaces and private suite gardens. The hotel includes a ground floor restaurant, swimming pool, outdoor pool bar, and event space that all integrate into the central courtyard terraces.

Common exterior spaces, outdoor walkways, and lushly planted terraces enhance the outdoor experience for guests and foster a sense of community. Deeply shaded porches and outdoor terraces create a unique experience that recalls the lake houses and natural artesian springs found in the Texas Hill Country.

MASS TIMBER

Honoring History and Embracing Sustainability

Hotel Magdalena is the first mass timber boutique hotel in North America. The mass timber panels, structural walls, and heavy timber porches were prefabricated off-site, delivered, and erected using a streamlined schedule. This process ensured both efficiency and quality control of the finished product. A multi-story timber walkway structure with gapped DLT panels outside of the hotel rooms was uniquely designed to accommodate the existing Oak heritage trees on the site, which blend in with the structure.

MASS TIMBER

Honoring History and Embracing Sustainability

In the project’s integrated design & sustainability charrette, it was agreed by the hotel ownership, operators, stakeholders, and design team that the building structure and materials needed to be considered as an integral component of the larger sustainability goals of reducing energy demand, conserving water, and lowering the global warming potential for the project. By using wood as the primary structural material in lieu of concrete or steel, the overall embodied energy for construction was greatly reduced.

MASS TIMBER

Honoring History and Embracing Sustainability

Showcasing the mass timber panels and heavy timber structural components helps to tell the story of how the structure was built while providing a warmer, more textured material in the guest rooms and common outdoor porches. The wood became an integral component of the hotel experience, both inside and outside of the guest rooms. This, in turn, allows for the conversation of sustainable structures and construction practices to be viewed and shared across a wider spectrum of visitors from around the country and world.