Designed by Rhode Partners, ICON is a 300-foot-tall student housing tower that brings a new level of density, design quality, and urban integration to Austin’s West Campus neighborhood. Located at the intersection of 22nd Street and San Antonio Street, just steps from the University of Texas at Austin, the development was completed in fall 2025 and stands among the tallest residential buildings in the district.

Built on a compact quarter-acre infill site, ICON demonstrates how high-density student housing can be successfully delivered without sacrificing architectural character or pedestrian experience. The tower incorporates four levels of below-grade parking, eliminating the need for an above-ground parking podium and allowing the streetscape to remain active and pedestrian-friendly.

Above ground, the building contains 28 levels of residential apartments, offering a range of layouts from studios to five-bedroom units, along with two amenity floors positioned at the crown.

At street level, a floor-to-ceiling curtain wall wraps the primary entrance, creating a strong visual connection between the interior and the public realm. Textured channel glass provides daylight and privacy for study rooms and leasing offices, while black terracotta cladding conceals operational and service functions along the street frontage. The podium combines composite wood and metal panels in a restrained palette that complements the surrounding urban context.

The tower’s façade is defined by its exposed concrete structural grid, which establishes a clear architectural rhythm. Within this framework, windows, composite wood panels, and angled EIFS elements of varying widths create depth, movement, and changing shadow patterns across the exterior.

At the top of the building, a double-height glazed crown houses resident amenities and delivers panoramic views of the University of Texas campus, downtown Austin, and the Texas Hill Country, reinforcing ICON’s presence on the city skyline.