Month: April 2019

Winner: Motiva, Levels 2 & 3
General Contractor: O’Donnell/Snider Construction

Architect: Kirksey Architecture

Structural Engineer: Cardno

MEP: I.A. Naman + Associates Inc.

Interior Designer: Kirksey Architecture

Motiva moved into two floors in the recently renovated One Allen Center in downtown. The company’s space includes accent walls with graphics that represent Motiva’s various business assets, as well as a new reception area and conferencing center for visitors that will expand the company’s brand and generate new business in Houston.

Prior to expanding onto levels two and three in One Allen Center, Motiva was already occupying four levels in One Allen, but those spaces were primarily designated for employees. This move was partially fueled by Motiva’s desire for space to show off their brand and host clients in visually appealing reception and conference areas.

Motiva will be adding a substantial number of jobs to the Houston market, per a company spokesperson.

Size: 26,000 square feet

Project value: Undisclosed

CBRE’s space was a consolidation of the company’s three Houston offices. It is entirely paperless, and it was designed with modern functionality in mind.
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CBRE’s space was a consolidation of the company’s three Houston offices. It is entirely paperless, and it was designed with modern functionality in mind.
RYAN GOBUTY | GENSLER

Finalist: CBRE Houston
Developer: CBRE

General Contractor: D.E. Harvey Builders

Architect: Gensler

Engineer: HOK

MEP: I.A. Naman & Associates Inc.

Interior Designer: Gensler

CBRE’s 77,000-square-foot space was a consolidation of the company’s three Houston offices. The office is entirely paperless, and it was designed with modern functionality in mind. Employees are free to choose to work in roughly 40 unique work settings, and a majority of the work settings in CBRE’s new office were specifically designed to foster socialization and collaboration. The office is also home to custom-crafted pieces by local artisans, including woodwork, metalwork and illustrations.

CBRE’s consolidation into Williams Tower was significant for the Uptown submarket, too. CBRE’s Houston office is the largest of the company’s “CBRE 360” — a designation given to the company’s paperless, open and renovated offices — locations in the world. The office is also equipped with Liquid Galaxy, which allows professionals to display satellite views of Houston and views from around the globe, as well as CBRE’s proprietary data, such as debt situations and area demographics.

Size: 77,695 square feet

Project value: Undisclosed

Abel Design Group renovated executive floors of America Tower at 2929 Allen Parkway for Musket Corp., which relocated from downtown Houston to America Tower.
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Abel Design Group renovated executive floors of America Tower at 2929 Allen Parkway for Musket Corp., which relocated from downtown Houston to America Tower.
COURTESY

Finalist: Musket Corporation
Developer: Musket Corp.

General Contractor: Trademark Hitt

Architect: Abel Design Group

Engineer: Henderson Rogers Structural Engineers

MEP: EBE Inc.

Broker: Jackson Cooksey

Abel Design Group renovated executive floors of America Tower at 2929 Allen Parkway for Musket Corp., which relocated from downtown Houston to America Tower. The space had been vacant for years and was a relic of the ‘80s. Abel Design Group used design tools, mood boards and sketches to bring Musket Corp.’s vision for a modernized office space to life.

One of the space’s distinguishing features is an internal staircase that connects two floors. Musket Corp.’s space was designed to accommodate future growth.

Size: 37,000 square feet

Project value: Undisclosed

The Annex HTX is a coworking space that caters to freelancers, writers, designers, artists and other entrepreneurs, who can work and collaborate in a modern space.
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The Annex HTX is a coworking space that caters to freelancers, writers, designers, artists and other entrepreneurs, who can work and collaborate in a modern space.
COURTESY

Finalist: The Annex HTX
Developer: Construction Concepts

General Contractor: Construction Concepts

Architect: AMC Design

MEP: AMC Design

Engineer: AMC Design

The Annex HTX is a new coworking community in east downtown. The space caters to freelancers, writers, designers, artists and other entrepreneurs, who can work and collaborate in a modern space. It was designed with industrial chic influences in mind, and all of the space’s finishes — from custom fabricated steel and railing to extensive millwork and laminates — were crafted by Construction Concepts’ in-house artisans.

Construction Concepts and The Annex HTX worked hand-in-hand in designing the space. The finished product is a revitalized industrial warehouse that’ll help growing businesses and creators thrive in the east downtown hub.

Size: 6,500 square feet

Project value: $700,000

Winner: Wortham Theater Center
Developer: Houston First Corp.

General Contractor: Manhattan Construction Co.

Architect: Harrison Kornberg Architects

MEP: ARUP

Interior Designer: Harrison Kornberg Architects

Financier: Houston First Corp.

Attorney: Lisa Hargrove

Though Houston’s Theater District experienced unprecedented damages during Hurricane Harvey, the Wortham suffered the most by far. Houston First Corp. estimates that costs to repair the Wortham totaled over $100 million, excluding efforts to mitigate future flooding or costs to repair the underground parking garages.

Over 12 feet of floodwaters inundated the Wortham’s entire 150,000-square-foot basement, which included performance and rehearsal spaces plus rooms for props, wigs, costumes and more. Floodwaters also damaged one-third of the facility’s 60 air-handling units, and electrical, plumbing and elevator systems below the ground floor all suffered extensive damage.

Houston Grand Opera and Houston First worked together to create a temporary theater in the George R. Brown Convention Center, also operated by Houston First, where the opera performed its entire 2017-2018 season with no cancellations or date changes. The opera’s total Harvey-related losses are expected to be as much as $15 million. The ballet’s total losses are expected to be $14 million over three years. Still, forensic engineers were hired, and a flood mitigation plan was enacted, to ensure the Wortham’s resiliency for years to come.

Size: 437,000 square feet

Project value: $153 million

Finalist: CPT Eldridge Oaks LP
Developer: Transwestern

General Contractor: O’Donnell Snider Construction

Architect: Kirksey Architecture

Structural Engineer: Engineering Diagnostics

Environmental Engineer: EFI Global

MEP: DBR Inc.

Attorney: Thompson & Knight LLP

The remediation and recovery of Eldridge Oaks, an office building in the Energy Corridor, was an $8.3 million project that completely renovated the home of a large undisclosed oil and gas company, as well as several other tenants. Due to Hurricane Harvey, the office building retained reservoir water for 11 days. It flooded after the release of the Addicks Reservoir and retained black water from a neighboring sewage facility.

Eldridge Oaks required significant remediation. To power the generators used during the renovation, Transwestern used LP fuel instead of diesel fuel, which saved the building owner an estimated $800,000 in fuel costs. Additionally, since the building had retained black water, extensive indoor air quality checks were required. Every interior finish and piece of operational equipment had to be replaced.

After the renovation, Eldridge Oaks achieved LEED Gold certification.

Size: 365,591 square feet

Project value: $8.3 million

Finalist: Harbor View by Cortland
Developer: Cortland Build

General Contractor: Cortland Build

After Hurricane Harvey, renovations to the Harbor View multifamily property in Kingwood were required. The storm flooded 67 units, and water rose as high as eight feet in the property. Cortland completed renovations on all 250 units in the property in around a year. Residents whose units were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey were offered transfers to different units with no change in their rent, and their rents were frozen for two weeks in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Additionally, Cortland completed improvements in many of the units, such as new kitchens, giving some residents an even better quality of life than before Hurricane Harvey hit. During the recovery process, occupancy at the property dipped to roughly 70 percent. Today, Harbor View is 93 percent occupied.

Size: 250 units

Project value: Undisclosed

Finalist: Omni Houston Hotel
Developer: TRT Holdings Inc.

General Contractor: DPR Construction

Architect: Perkins + Will’s Boston Studio

Engineer: Walter P Moore

MEP: Affiliated Engineers

Interior Designer: Ealain Studio

Owner: Omni Houston Hotel

The Omni Houston Hotel on Riverway Drive reopened in November 2018 after suffering significant flooding during Hurricane Harvey and offers a completely reimagined nightclub, spa and wellness center, speakeasy-style whiskey lounge and more.

The 378-room hotel’s multimillion-dollar renovation covered an entire rebuild and redesign of the first floor. The hotel was closed for more than a year following Hurricane Harvey.

Today, guests are greeted in the lobby by an expansive lounge with modern, rustic lounge seating, a $15,000 custom-designed gathering table, a large bookshelf and fireplace and more. The hotel’s main restaurant, Birdies, is a bright, airy restaurant featuring lush greens and décor named after and inspired by Lady Bird Johnson. Black Swan, the hotel’s nightclub in the basement, was also renovated with a modern redesign valued at $2 million. This is the most extensive renovation that’s ever been completed at the Omni Riverway. The hotel also worked with a local civil engineering firm to create a flood-mitigation plan for future flooding events.

Size: 131,000 square feet

Project value: $30 million

Another office building in the Galleria area is preparing for an amenity activation.

1800 West Loop South, a 400K SF office tower at San Felipe and Interstate 610, will add a social hub, a tenant lounge, a private patio and a fitness center, according to a release by Transwestern. Interior renovations are set to wrap up this summer.

“We are focused on delivering well-rounded spaces that elevate and enhance the workday routine,” said Nimble founder and Creative Director Candice Riley Campbell, who will be responsible for project design. “Every detail was consciously considered to ensure it provides value and convenience to the tenants it serves.”

The first-floor social hub will include a large, open service area with complimentary cold brew and sparkling water. The reservable tenant lounge offers Airshare media and a private walk-out patio. Other on-site amenities underway include a 32-person meeting space, amenity-rich public spaces, refreshed lobby and common areas, and a new fitness center with a 20-person studio room for streaming private classes.

Owner Keppel-KBS US REIT tapped O’Donnell Snider Construction to serve as the general contractor, along with CDI Douglass Pye Inc. as the architect for the speculative suite program. Transwestern Commercial Services will provide leasing services.

“By providing more amenities in the building, tenants have the flexibility to enjoy a healthy and delicious lunch, work out in a state-of-the-art fitness facility or have an interoffice meeting on-site, which improves productivity and work-life balance,” Transwestern Senior Vice President Louann Pereira said.

Amenity add-ons at office buildings have been a growing trend in Houston recently, primarily focused in Downtown Houston. Completed and in-progress projects include Houston Center, 811 Dallas, 1415 Louisiana and One City Centre.

In the Galleria area, Hicks Ventures and Taconic Capital Advisors are planning the renovation of 1177 West Loop South, which the partnership bought earlier in April.

Braun Enterprises is also redeveloping an office building in the Galleria area. Formerly known as Yorktown Plaza at 5353 and 5373 West Alabama, the plan includes exterior and interior upgrades.

CORRECTION, APRIL 9, 9:30 A.M. CT: A previous story incorrectly identified Louann Pereira’s company. She works for Transwestern.