The brief
The owners wanted a flagship four-court outdoor facility that would double as the Austin home of regional tournaments. The site sat on a flood-fringe parcel with a 4% grade and clay soils — the kind of brief that disqualifies most builders.
What we did
- Re-engineered the foundation system to a pier-and-beam grid that handles seasonal moisture swings without panel separation.
- Sourced FIP-spec turf with the 12mm sand fill the owners' coaches preferred for a slightly slower, more tactical playing surface.
- Installed a tournament-grade LED package: 500 lux average, 0.6 uniformity, full-spectrum white at 5000K — broadcast-ready.
- Engineered a covered viewing platform that doubles as a clubhouse patio, opening up the long-axis sightlines along the river.
Outcome
Opened on schedule, hosted its first regional tournament three weeks later, and is currently averaging 78% court utilisation during prime time — well above the 60% benchmark we set together.