We helped our beloved PBS station make the move from the campus of UT Austin — where they had been based for nearly 50 years — to their new home at the Highland campus of Austin Community College.

The move marked a new chapter for the not-for-profit. Formerly known by its call letters, KLRU, the renamed Austin PBS used its move to launch its new brand while also doubling its office and production space and adding a publicly accessible venue to host events and show tapings.

With the move also coinciding with a significant brand refresh by the national PBS organization, the team had the freedom to infuse the new space with color and content, creating a dynamic new home for an Austin treasure.

Services

Experiential Design
Art Installations
Signage and Wayfinding
Donor Recognition
Interpretive Exhibits

Project Team

Studio Steinbomer
Britt Design Group

Recognition

Graphis Design Award: Environmental

Welcoming visitors

The new offices are on the ground floor of a renovated structure that was formerly the Dillard’s store at Austin’s Highland Mall. Four upper floors host Austin Community College offices and classrooms. Exterior and lobby signage, coordinated with architecture by Gensler, greets visitors with the new station logo and its signature “P-head” symbol.

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Descending a grand stair into the PBS space, visitors get an up-close look at a PBS logo that's been artfully integrated into a two-story wood slat wall. Alternating areas of paint and 75 individually sculpted fins mounted between the slats create a visual effect that appears simple, but was actually the result of a complex design effort that included extensive modeling, prototyping, measuring, and fitting in coordination with a local fabricator. Custom typography in a neon cabinet sits above the PBS mark in a nod to Austin’s quirky past.

Front of house

The public areas of the space — designed by Studio Steinbomer with interior concepts by Britt Design Group — host meeting rooms, a box office, restrooms, and a pre-function lobby. Here, we celebrate the station’s mission statement and recognize those who made the move and space possible through an additive donor recognition installation. A temporary display speaks to PBS’ role in the community.

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Asterisk helped our team to identify the history and artifacts we wanted to share, then artfully translated that narrative to our new home. Our space clearly reflects our organization’s values and the impact Austin PBS has on the central Texas community.

Lori Bolding | Chief Operating Officer, Austin PBS

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A portal to Studio 6A

The bright blue doors of the new Studio 6A act as a beacon to draw visitors through the lobby to the recording stages. A subtle gloss-and-matte paint scheme extends a welcome to visitors in 10 languages, translated and typeset by designers from around the world.

Colorful details

The lobby’s public restrooms — often an overlooked design opportunity — include custom wall coverings that draw from the history of broadcast television and celebrate some of PBS’ most beloved characters.

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Millwork rails host an ever-changing display of show posters.

Signage and accent colors

A program of code-required room and office signage references the colorful buttons found on equipment used in the broadcast industry. Back-of-house room signs are color-coordinated with privacy film to activate the open office areas. A companion plaque system gives PBS Austin the ability to acknowledge donors throughout the space.