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Equipment Room
Equipment Room
Austin, TX, United States
Special Mention, 2024 A+Awards, Hospitality - Bars and Wineries
Project Featured on Sep 30, 2024
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Other Projects by RIOS
Equipment Room
Austin, TX, United States
Special Mention, 2024 A+Awards, Hospitality - Bars and Wineries
Project Featured on Sep 30, 2024
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2023
SIZE
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft
Austin's reputation as a music city lives in its stages and recording studios. Hotel Magdalena sits steps from Arlyn Studios, the Austin recording home of Willie Nelson, on a stretch of South Congress Avenue known as Music Lane. The hotel's basement sat unused, physically close to the city's music legacy but disconnected from it.
Bunkhouse Hotels saw an opportunity in Magdalena’s unused basement to give Austin a VIP destination-oriented venue built around sound itself. The city had no equivalent space, and the existing space offered the raw conditions for a new cultural anchor within the hotel.
RIOS and Bunkhouse studied Japanese jazz kissa, intimate listening cafes where artists curate and play high-quality records for patrons to experience. That research shaped a concept grounded in precision, material honesty, and focused atmosphere. The design draws its cues directly from the form and finish of high-quality audio equipment.
The entry sequence greets visitors by a backlit stained-glass relic evoking a spiritual-like experience that guides them through an acoustic paneled portal to the listening room for a sense of exclusivity and privacy. The space is dimly lit to place focus on the acoustic equipment, while a sculpted back wall provides an intimate atmosphere complete with shadowy nooks for seating and private conversation.
Equipment Room features a fully integrated Hemlock bar and custom-made feature wall designed to showcase the Klipsch sound equipment and record collection from Breakaway Records. A custom DJ booth with a roll-top tambour cover adds character and functionality to the space. Together, these elements make Equipment Room visually stunning and highly functional.
Equipment Room opens as Austin's only dedicated high-fidelity listening venue. The 44-seat reservation-only format creates a level of exclusivity with a 12-seat VIP nook. Carefully chosen lighting and color palettes enrich the sensory encounter, creating an environment that is truly unforgettable. Whether you are an audiophile or simply appreciate good sound and design, Equipment Room is a unique experience that you will want to revisit again and again.
Within its first year, Bon Appétit names Equipment Room one of the best new bars in the country, positioning Hotel Magdalena as a design-forward destination on Music Lane. It extends Austin's music identity beyond live performance into curated, immersive listening. The project establishes Bunkhouse Hotels as a hospitality brand willing to invest in cultural specificity rather than generic amenity programming.
Bunkhouse Hotels saw an opportunity in Magdalena’s unused basement to give Austin a VIP destination-oriented venue built around sound itself. The city had no equivalent space, and the existing space offered the raw conditions for a new cultural anchor within the hotel.
RIOS and Bunkhouse studied Japanese jazz kissa, intimate listening cafes where artists curate and play high-quality records for patrons to experience. That research shaped a concept grounded in precision, material honesty, and focused atmosphere. The design draws its cues directly from the form and finish of high-quality audio equipment.
The entry sequence greets visitors by a backlit stained-glass relic evoking a spiritual-like experience that guides them through an acoustic paneled portal to the listening room for a sense of exclusivity and privacy. The space is dimly lit to place focus on the acoustic equipment, while a sculpted back wall provides an intimate atmosphere complete with shadowy nooks for seating and private conversation.
Equipment Room features a fully integrated Hemlock bar and custom-made feature wall designed to showcase the Klipsch sound equipment and record collection from Breakaway Records. A custom DJ booth with a roll-top tambour cover adds character and functionality to the space. Together, these elements make Equipment Room visually stunning and highly functional.
Equipment Room opens as Austin's only dedicated high-fidelity listening venue. The 44-seat reservation-only format creates a level of exclusivity with a 12-seat VIP nook. Carefully chosen lighting and color palettes enrich the sensory encounter, creating an environment that is truly unforgettable. Whether you are an audiophile or simply appreciate good sound and design, Equipment Room is a unique experience that you will want to revisit again and again.
Within its first year, Bon Appétit names Equipment Room one of the best new bars in the country, positioning Hotel Magdalena as a design-forward destination on Music Lane. It extends Austin's music identity beyond live performance into curated, immersive listening. The project establishes Bunkhouse Hotels as a hospitality brand willing to invest in cultural specificity rather than generic amenity programming.
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