Checking the Facts of Austin's Copper City Hall

by Kevin Surbaugh

When I went to visit with the protesters at the Occupy Austin, I met a Amber; age 24, who complained

Why are there so many people that don't have Medicare? They are just on the street dying because they can't afford the right medications.

When asked about how to pay for increased coverage (which I would love to see happen) She replied,

This beautiful building (Austin City Hall) right here is made out of copper. Seventeen ($17) million dollars of copper just setting there on that roof. I mean, why can't they just put regular brick or glass on top of the building like all the rest of them? Why is the $17 million just setting there? You know $17 million dollars can feed so many people and help so many people out.

I was astounded. Was this true? So I began to research it. Yes there is copper on the roof and ceiling of the building., according to multiple sources. One such source Copper.org explains

Entering the building, visitors find themselves standing in a canyon-like space that reaches four stories to a reflective bronze ceiling. Catwalk-like bridges span the openness at each level. The city council chamber has theater-style seating for 156, with monitor screens inside the chamber and in the lobby to allow public viewing of council proceedings.
- Copper.org

Inside City Hall, the bronze ceiling reflects light downward

Photo courtesy Antoine Predock via Copper.org

This is all part of the City of Austin's green initiative. The site continues

Some 66,000 square feet, or more than a football field’s worth, of copper is used primarily to wrap the top half of the building, including the “stinger.” The 12-inch-wide copper-clad panels and standing seam copper roof have been treated with a light oil coating to slow their patination. Due to the low amount of sulfur in Austin’s air, it is expected that the copper will turn first to various shades of brown and then to a soft grey with hints of blue and green in about 30 years. Alongside the importance of the coloring is the fact that copper can be fitted to almost any shape. This was critical because the building has few 90-degree angles.


The copper cladding on the outside of the building will last two to three times longer than other exterior materials, resulting in the consumption of from a third to a half less material over the building’s lifetime.


In the lobby, a bronze ceiling reflects the sun coming in from the skylight into the space below.4 In the council chamber, 16 corrugated “copper clouds” dominate the ceiling, acting as both design features and acoustical panels. Finally, the fact that the copper has 82% recycled content helped contribute to its award of the LEED point for using recycled materials.


Further, the only energy needed to make cladding from recycled copper is for the heat to melt it — just 15% of the total energy that would have been consumed if it had been mined, milled, smelted and refined from ore. This translates into big energy savings, as more than 80% of the copper used to make architectural sheet products is derived from recycled copper.

Finally, copper cladding will last two or three times longer than other exterior materials, resulting in the consumption of from a third to a half less material over a building’s lifetime.


- Copper.org

But is it really $17 million in copper alone? I mean the cities own website said the building cost $56 million to build, so would the copper really take that much of the building costs? According to a document from copper.org

If pennies were still made of copper (they are copper-coated zinc now), more than 12 million Lincoln coins would have been needed to construct the new City Hall in Austin, Texas.

Austin City Hall from above    Photo courtesy of Antoine Predock  via Copper.org

With its multiple angles and sharp curves, the unique four-story structure is clad almost entirely in brown-gold copper. Approximately 66,000 square feet of copper was used for the interior and exterior facades of the 115,000-square-foot building, which opened in late 2004 and cost $56 million to construct.

For the record 12 million pennies is only $120,000, but the copper value is more then that, so the question remains is it really $17 million in that building. It is a question that I asked the cities media relations department. Is this fact or just an exaggeration by some overzealous critics? At the time of publication my phones calls and emails have been unanswered. I however, will keep vigilant to find out the answer.We at KevinsView think you should know the facts. Whether it is the city hiding the truth from us or overzealous protestors misrepresenting the numbers, we want you to know.

----Update Tue Nov 8, 2011 ------------


Mona Sanchez with the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office of the City of Austin said that,

The “copper skin” on City Hall is valued at $2,545,000 which includes materials and labor to install the copper cladding system (fiberglass decking, waterproofing and copper) inside and outside of the building. This figure does not include the copper clouds located in the Council Chamber, which were $250,000 for materials and labor. Eighty-two (82%) percent of all copper used on the building was recycled copper.

Related article published as Fact Checking an Occupy Austin Protestor on Blogcritics.

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