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Decorative Concrete Streetscapes at The Domain

Decorative concrete used as a design element at an upscale Austin, TX retail center

By Sherry Boyd, ConcreteNetwork.com Columnist

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Video: Decorative Concrete Streetscapes

Watch an overview of how concrete was incorporated into the overall design of this retail center.

— Length: 01:22

Project Detail:

- Decorative concrete used as design element in a large development consisting of over a million square feet of retail space.

- Streetscapes and plaza convey a sense of permanence and luxuriant quality reminiscent of the old world.

- Center consists of seventy-five upscale stores and nine fine restaurants.

At The Domain, a recently completed retail center in Austin, TX, interesting sidewalks, plazas, and seating areas made of decorative concrete help make the shopping experience complete. Here's a summary of how decorative concrete was used in this outdoor mall:

Concrete was used to create comfortable outdoor gathering places and walkways for pedestrian use with an inviting pedestrian appeal.
The developer decided to create an outdoor mall to reduce the extravagant energy expense of climate control for indoor malls and create a sense of community at street level.
The design scheme was inspired by the pedestrian-friendly plazas and meandering streets of the old world.
The goal was to create hardscapes and patios that appeared timeworn from the outset by using rich, natural colors and custom amenities.
Many of the pathways were designed to curve gracefully to integrate large, previously existing, oak trees.
Patios and walkways were situated to benefit from shade and custom-designed water features.
High performance concrete with Uni-Mix Integral Concrete Colors in Lannon Stone and Harvest Wheat was used.
Blocks of color were used to direct access to the store entries.
For a custom look, the joints were all tooled with a hand-groover, instead of being saw-cut.
All the concrete was finished with a natural rock salt finish.
A water-based curing compound and a water-based sealer were used to protect the surface of the concrete.
Decorative concrete serves as a backdrop for upscale amenities such as sculptures by local artists, interesting native plants, soothing water features and inset hand-cut stone.
Project features custom-made mosaic embellished benches and artistic iron railings.