Best New Public Building

Austin Community College

The new ACC complex in the heart of East Austin manages to be a grand gesture without crushing the surrounding neighborhood under its great political and symbolic weight. It's a (surprisingly) attractive campus, but more importantly, it doesn't look like it was beamed in from a distant planet, which is often what happens with projects like this. It instead shows that "changing the character of a neighborhood" isn't always something to be feared.

Austin Community College
Austin Community College Eastview Campus, 3401 Webberville Rd., 512/223-5100
Austin Community College Bookstore, 817 W. 12th, 512/474-7528
Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande, 512/223-3000
817 W. 12th, 512/474-7528
Austin Community College Riverside Campus, 1020 Grove, 512/223-6000
www.austincc.edu