Texas A&M Plans $423M HQ & Emergency Operations Center in Austin

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is embarking on a major project to construct a new headquarters and emergency operations center in Austin, Texas. This initiative, with a budget initially set at $360 million and later expanded to $423 million, is overseen by the Texas A&M University System's Board of Regents.

Expansion Plans

The new facility, set to be built using a combination of steel-framed and mass timber construction, will address the current limitations of TDEM's offices. Currently located at 313 Anderson Lane, the agency faces constraints in meeting space, leading to the leasing of additional meeting rooms at a nearby hotel. The approved plans outline a sprawling campus on 48 acres at 4125 S. Farm-to-Market Road 973, featuring a five-story office building and a state-of-the-art emergency operations center.

Construction Details

The recent approval of additional funding has expanded the project's scope, adding a sixth floor to the office building, a warehouse, a parking garage, and a secure facility for sensitive information processing. The emergency operations center itself will cover 90,068 square feet and be designed to withstand 200 mph windstorms, equipped with various meeting rooms and specialized spaces.

Austin's Growing Office Space

The construction of TDEM's new headquarters adds to Austin's booming office development scene. As of March, the city had approximately 4.3 million square feet of office space under construction, constituting 4.6% of the total office stock. While lagging behind Dallas-Fort Worth, which boasts over 5.1 million square feet in development, Austin surpasses Houston in office construction activity.

Among the notable office projects completed in the first quarter of the year is One Uptown, part of Brandywine Realty Trust's Uptown ATX mixed-use community. This Class A mid-rise spans 381,739 square feet and is part of a larger campus projected to encompass 3.2 million square feet of residential, retail, and office space upon completion.