HOUSTON | Hess Tower | 490 FT / 149 M | 29 FLOORS
 

Discovery Tower

In brief: A 30 story, 871k square foot office tower located at 1501 McKinney Street in the Downtown district, across from Discovery Green. It is the first office project spurred by that park.

Height is 482 Feet to the top (Thanks to Complex01 for the tip).

Developer: Trammell Crow
Architect: Gensler
Contractor: Gilbane Building Company

Planned Construction: 2008-2010

Official Website: www.discoverytowerhouston.com

Leasing Brochure (PDF): http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...r_brochure.pdf

This rendering is the current one posted on CBRE's page for the building.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...7-3BB82DB7.jpg

These renderings were added to the building's website in June of 2008.

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...y/Render_1.jpg

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...y/Render_2.jpg

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...y/Render_3.jpg

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...y/Render_4.jpg

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...y/Render_5.jpg

This is the earliest rendering released to the public in the print edition of the Houston Chronicle story on MainPlace, back in August of last year. Some minor variations are visible but the structure is generally the same.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...yRendering.jpg

Last week, the first equipment was brought to the site

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02555.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02556.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02564.jpg

and was assembled by the end of the week

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02573.jpg

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02574.jpg

such a sleek and gorgeous building! I am so happy that there are more buildings being built in that area of downtown:)

Good to see downtown getting rid of one more freakin parking lot! YAY, I'm guessing the height to be around, I dont know, 400 ft maybe?

Nice tower! Houston's booming again.

This thing is going to look good. :)

It seems the crown is indeed the planned home for several wind turbines...

http://swamplot.com/discovery-tower-...es/2008-02-29/

That's really cool. I believe that would be a first for a Texas highrise.

Wind turbines eh, that is pretty sweet, cant wait to see this thing start to rise! YAY:slob:

Well, I think it's a testament to the surge in wind projects appearing around the state which is a great thing. Are you aware of any other skyscrapers that have incorporated similar structures into their design?

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...f/5583898.html

March 1, 2008, 2:58AM
REAL ESTATE
Work on Discovery Tower to start
Trammell Crow aims to earn gold with its 'green' system designs

By NANCY SARNOFF
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Trammell Crow is doing something new.

The developer plans to install 10 wind turbines at the top of its new downtown building to harvest renewable energy.

The company said construction will start this week on the 30-story office tower it announced last year.

The 871,000-square-foot project, called Discovery Tower, will have an adjacent parking garage and will be built next to the Discovery Green park.

The project's cost could reach more than $300 million, according to early estimates.

Some of that expense will come from energy-efficient systems designed for the building so it can seek gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, the industry's benchmark for the design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings.

To achieve a gold rating, a property must earn a certain number of credits for things like air filtration and water-efficient plumbing.

The miniwind farm should also make a huge design statement and help market the building, as more companies look for space where their employees can breathe cleaner air and feel that their bosses care about the environment by leasing energy-efficient digs.

"Sustainability is a big driver going forward," Trammell Crow's Aaron Thielhorn said.

The company, whose partner on the deal is Principal Real Estate Investors, doesn't have a tenant yet for the building. But there's been plenty of interest as downtown's office market has gotten tighter, said Matt Khourie, president of Trammell Crow's southeast operations.

Downtown's vacancy rate was about 9 percent at the end of last year, according to CB Richard Ellis, Trammell Crow's parent company.

The Gensler-designed building, which will have an address of 1501 McKinney, is expected to open around the second quarter of 2010. Gilbane Building Co. is constructing it.

The structure was designed with two stories of retail and restaurant space overlooking a landscaped plaza.

An entrance pavilion will have a porte-cochere and open into a multilevel lobby.

A 10-story parking garage will be developed on the block just north of the tower.

The building will overlook Discovery Green. A new convention center hotel could be built nearby. And a high-rise apartment building is under construction in the area.

Khourie said downtown's center of gravity has been shifting toward the east.

"I believe Discovery Green is going to be a game-changer for downtown Houston," he said.

The building and garage will be connected by a sky bridge, but Khourie wouldn't comment on whether the tower would connect to another downtown building that has access to the tunnel system.

That is very kewl to have wind turbines on top of it...

:cool:

Thats awesome, this building will probably be recognized the world over and may surge even more interest in downtown Houston and surrounding areas. Im so glad they built Discovery Green to help push these projects forward! YES

Houston having 2 LEED certified skyscrapers downtown (MainPlace and Discovery Tower)?? Who would have thought that?? and one having WINDMILLS on top?? Awesome.

The website is now active and will be expanded soon, and another rendering is on the front page. The fence started going up around the site this morning/afternoon.

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com/

http://www.discoverytowerhouston.com...GR2_rev_01.jpg

It looks nice from here. :)

The view from this angle, helps it break it up a bit. I like it. Its gonna be awesome to watch this thing rise from the new park. Very Kewl...

:wizard:

Again, I really like the blue skin. I hope they don't waver from the shade.

The first full-page ad was in this week's Business Journal.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...e/DSC02758.jpg

And a closer view of the rendering itself

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w...drendering.jpg

Now under construction? :) Time to move this thread.