HDR Establishes Architecture Practice in Austin, Texas
HDR is growing its design practice in Texas by establishing an architecture studio in Austin. Following the employee-owned firm’s success in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, HDR’s new architecture studio will complement its recognized Austin engineering practice as the city and Greater Central Texas continue to grow, and demand for civic buildings, community spaces and academic facilities increases.
HDR is an integrated, multidisciplinary design firm with deep expertise in community-building and placemaking. Notable architecture projects in its Texas portfolio include the upcoming mass timber Hays County Eastside Campus, the City of Taylor Facilities Master Plan and Fire Stations 1 and 2 Design, and the City of Lockhart Visitor Center.
“Adding architecture to our Central Texas team is an exciting step in our continued growth,” said Mark Borenstein, Austin-based director of operations for HDR’s South Central region. “It expands the expertise we can bring to our clients and creates new opportunities for collaboration, allowing us to deliver comprehensive solutions through one connected, full-service team.”
As HDR’s Austin architecture practice grows, Kate Haenchen Jimenez joins the firm from the University of Texas at Austin as an education and science associate principal. She will work alongside Civic Principal Sara Ibarra to oversee the Austin architecture studio. Over the past two decades, Haenchen Jimenez has developed governance frameworks and advanced design excellence for higher education environments. With nearly 20 years of experience in architectural design and project development, Haenchen Jimenez brings deep expertise in client and community engagement to projects across the education, transportation, civic and community sectors.
“Kate and Sara's notable design expertise and decades of experience in Austin will further HDR’s positive impact in Texas and strengthen collaboration for the benefit of communities,” said Chad Anderson, HDR’s architecture managing principal in Dallas.
Since 1976, HDR’s Austin engineering practice has planned and designed infrastructure projects throughout Central Texas. Recognizable work includes the Wishbone Bridge and Unity Underpass, the historic erosion stabilization project at Roy G. Guerrero Park, and consulting services for the Project Connect Transit Plan and Austin Bergstrom International Airport campuswide utility infrastructure improvements.
About HDR
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental, and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
