The Destinations Issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News saw many firms submit their projects for feature consideration. Q2 Stadium is one of several great projects we are excited to showcase on LandscapeArchitect.com.

TBG
The establishment of a professional sports league representing Austin, Texas is huge- the only one of its kind. Austin FC's Q2 Stadium is soccer-specific and was designed to appropriately accommodate its inhabitants and represent the city pridefully. Austin residents have already embraced the team and are ecstatic to have a local team to support and cheer for.

TBG was fortunate to have played a part in the stadium's construction through designing its landscape architecture. The design prioritizes green infrastructure, including habitat creation, rainwater capture and reuse, pervious paving and drought-tolerant planting design. Additionally, connections throughout the site and to adjacent destinations, and site activation for vibrant daily use, special events, and match days.

 

The stadium hosted its first official event in 2021, welcoming the US Women's National Team who competed against Nigeria. Three days later, Q2 held its first-ever home match at full-capacity.

Asakura Robinson
The ultimate plan process included facilitating an all-day sustainability convening of city staff representing various departments, coordinating and facilitating follow up meetings with topical groups ranging from parks and ecology, green infrastructure, and on-site water management to electric vehicle infrastructure, dark skies compliance, and Art in Public Places integration.

Sustainability played vital role in the stadium's design. The building has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council's rating of LEED Silver. It features innovative green architectural features including the largest canopy structure of any MLS stadium at the time of construction, providing for improved comfort of fans, and increased energy efficiency of offices and other cooled spaces nested underneath.

Inside the stadium, water consumption has been reduced by 30% from the baseline standard for buildings of its size through water-conserving fixtures. All lighting on site has been designed to minimize light pollution generated from site use.

Asakura Robinson also worked with the design team to ensure the landscape design, led by TBG Partners, and chosen plant palette aligned with the City's most innovative goals for establishing urban landscapes that provide habitat value, mitigation of urban heat, resilience to inundation in detention and water quality treatment areas, and a high level of aesthetic value - all rooted in mimicking the local bioregions.

The landscape around the pond and the stadium also features native Texas wildflowers and grasses that provide habitat and food for Austin's urban wildlife. Wax Mallow, for example, was selected because it can provide nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and moths. The fleshy, juicy fruit that appears after it blooms is an appealing treat for birds and small mammals.

To see more Destinations projects, go to: https://landscapearchitect.com/landscape-articles/lasns-destinations-issue-34869#article1

For more information about submitting a project, go to: https://landscapearchitect.com/research/editorial/editorial-submissions.php