SUSTAINABILITY 

From its inception, The Long Center has sought to showcase world-class artistry in a way that’s completely Austin. The center’s thoughtful application of sustainability and green-building principles — an area in which Austin is an acknowledged global leader — is one way of meeting that goal.

The Long Center’s commitment to sustainability began with the very concept of the project — an adaptive re-use of the site, structure and materials of the existing Palmer Auditorium. Opened in 1959, Palmer and its surrounding parkland were forward-looking contributions to the Austin of their time. The Long Center, as the hub of a multi-use redevelopment also including the new Palmer Events Center and Town Lake Park, takes this valuable urban asset — more than 20 acres of prime public land in the heart of the city — and reinvigorates it to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

The Palmer stagehouse, among the largest in Texas, has been retained as the heart of Michael & Susan Dell Hall, and the auditorium’s innovative circular "ring beam" now provides the Long Center with its distinctive design signature. The ring beam now embraces The Long Center’s City Terrace — a gathering place that fully realizes the promise of Austin’s commitment of this prime lakeside location to public use.

The deconstruction of Palmer Auditorium resulted in 44 million pounds of construction material, more than 95 percent of which has been recycled, reused in other projects throughout the region, or repurposed for The Long Center itself. For example, the multicolored aluminum panels that made up Palmer’s domed roof have been converted into the exterior finish of Dell Hall. And glass from Palmer’s exterior curtain wall has been used to craft the panels that acknowledge the members of The Long Center’s Founder’s Society, the major donors whose generosity has made the project come to life.

Throughout the design and construction of The Long Center, the project team has made choices that enhance the facility’s environmental performance.