In downtown Houston, Skanska USA’s 1550 on the Green, a 28-story, 375,000-sf office tower, aims to be one of Texas’ most sustainable buildings. The $225 million project has deployed various sustainable building materials, such as less carbon-intensive cement, to achieve 60% reduced embodied carbon.
Located next to Discovery Green, a 12-acre public park, 1550 on the Green is the first phase of Discovery West, a mixed-use project that will span three blocks.
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the building’s curved shape, described as a side-core design, allows unobstructed daylight to enter the oversized windows. The curved design provides views of Discovery Green, more efficient floor plates, more natural light than traditional floor plates, and natural light in the elevator lobby and restrooms. The building also uses air-handling technology that provides 30% more fresh air than traditional office buildings.
1550 on the Green offers touchless turnstiles and secure access points, as well as a building app for tenants. In addition to multiple levels of outdoor terraces with native plants, 1550 on the Green includes a bike storage room, a 7,000 sf spa-like fitness center, a 9,400 sf tenant-exclusive rooftop event space and conference center, and 7,000 sf of ground-level retail with over 5,000 sf of patio directly across from Discovery Green. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture designed the fitness center and other tenant amenity spaces.
1550 on the Green has been designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Completion is expected by the end of the year.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Skanska USA Commercial Development
Design architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Architect of record: Kendall Heaton
Landscape architect: SWA Group
Interior design architect: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
MEP engineer: Wylie Engineering
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore
General contractor: Skanska USA Building
Related Stories
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, Turner, and Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, URS, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 28, 2014
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 23, 2014
Tallest skyscraper in South Korea now open
The Northeast Asia Trade Tower stands at 308 meters and is the focal point of the Songdo International Business District, a new 310-hectare city built on reclaimed land.
| Jul 23, 2014
Architecture Billings Index up nearly a point in June
AIA reported the June ABI score was 53.5, up from a mark of 52.6 in May.
| Jul 22, 2014
L.A.'s tallest tower to get observation deck
U.S. Bank Tower, as part of a series of improvements, will be getting an observation deck and restaurant at its top.
| Jul 21, 2014
Economists ponder uneven recovery, weigh benefits of big infrastructure [2014 Giants 300 Report]
According to expert forecasters, multifamily projects, the Panama Canal expansion, and the petroleum industry’s “shale gale” could be saving graces for commercial AEC firms seeking growth opportunities in an economy that’s provided its share of recent disappointments.
| Jul 21, 2014
Workplace trends survey reveals generational patterns in office use
Data analysis from Mancini•Duffy indicates significant variations among age cohorts in the workplace.
| Jul 20, 2014
Why every major U.S. city should be nurturing ‘Innovation Hubs’
Today, more than ever, tech districts are the key to economic growth for metro markets. A new report from the Brookings Institution calls tech hubs the superchargers of innovation economies and creators of highly coveted tech jobs.
| Jul 18, 2014
Contractors warm up to new technologies, invent new management schemes [2014 Giants 300 Report]
“UAV.” “LATISTA.” “CMST.” If BD+C Giants 300 contractors have anything to say about it, these new terms may someday be as well known as “BIM” or “LEED.” Here’s a sampling of what Giant GCs and CMs are doing by way of technological and managerial innovation.
