Hotel Magdalena

Located in the heart of Austin’s South Congress neighborhood, Hotel Magdalena is the first mass timber boutique hotel in North America.

The mass timber wood structure honors the history of the site including the former 1950s Austin Terrace Motel – previously constructed of exposed heavy timber beams and columns in the mid-century modern aesthetic. The design team sought to reference this history and material aesthetic by creating warm, inviting structures. Through its carefully crafted environment, Hotel Magdalena provides an oasis for guests to enjoy within one of Austin’s most beloved neighborhoods.

Common exterior spaces, outdoor walkways and lushly planted terraces enhance the outdoor experience for guests and foster a sense of community. Welcomed by a feature 2-way gridded porte-cochère structure, visitors enjoy an entry walkway shaded by one of several existing Oak heritage trees preserved on the site. Deeply shaded porches and outdoor terraces create a unique experience that recalls the lake houses and natural artesian springs found in the Texas Hill Country.

The mass timber panels, structural walls and heavy timber porches were prefabricated off-site, delivered and erected using a streamlined schedule, ensuring efficiency and quality control. A multi-story timber walkway structure with gapped DLT panels outside of the hotel rooms required careful organization of boards with spacers and was designed to accommodate the existing Oak heritage trees. By exposing the wood structure to guests, the materials tell the story of how the structure was built while providing a warm, textured material in the guest rooms and common outdoor porches. Showcasing the mass timber panels and heavy timber structural components ensures that they become an integral component of the hotel experience, thus allowing sustainable structures and construction practices to be viewed and shared by visitors from around the world.