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ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center Project: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center, Houston Client ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Architect: PageSoutherlandPage Contractor: D.E. Harvey Consultants: Shen Milsom Wilke (av/acoustics); ASA Consulting Engineers (structrual); ARCADIS (civil); The Office of James Burnett (landscape); Sunland Engineering (traffic); HBC/Terracon (soils); Bridges International (roofing); Moisture Technology Corp. (curtain wall) Photographer: Tim Griffiths Floor Plan The design of the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center, completed in May 2004, blends the old with the new. The two-story 98,000-sf facility responds to the materials and horizontality of the existing Buffalo Speedway campus, but applies a new combination of forms and material relationships. The new building's design becomes more creative as it moves away from its junction with the 1950s-era McKie and Kamrath building, notable for its strips of brick, glass and shading devices. The new facility's facade steps toward the street in a series of layers composed of Central Texas limestone, glass, and brick. Another material - a canted curved metal panel - is introduced to represent ExxonMobil's innovative technology. The facility houses a grand lobby and gallery, classrooms of various sizes, two large areas for breakout sessions, as well as support and office spaces for training staff. The terrazzo floor in the lobby is an abstract pattern representing fluvial systems studied within the training center. Classrooms are equipped for the latest media, and a visualization classroom takes advantage of a large projection screen that can be configured in several ways, including as four sides of a cube. Parking for approximately 458 cars is provided adjacent to the training facility. The project distinguishes itself by covering a wide range of subject matter, from the tactile nature of oil field hardware and geologic material to the virtual world of computer models and simulations. All elements combine to create a training tool which will serve thousands of students annually from around the world who are involved in ExxonMobil's exploration, development, production, and research enterprises. --Courtney Mahaffey Link

From the HBJ, I don't have access to the whole article: "The Four Oaks Place office complex may soon be more appropriately named Five Oaks Place. The owner of the 1.8 million-square-foot office complex in the Galleria area is looking at spending between $100 million and $120 million to develop a new office building at 1550 Post Oak Blvd., where a 24 Hour Fitness is currently located" It's about to get busy in that area... Webcam: http://oxblue.com/open/transwestern/5oaks Renderings, and article from 10/13: http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2013/10/photos-developers-break-ground-on-bhp.html

https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/texas-childrens-hospital-woodlands Inpatient Hospital and Emergency Center: 17600 Interstate 45 South The Woodlands, TX 77384 Outpatient Services: 17580 Interstate 45 South The Woodlands TX 77384 https://www.cannondesign.com/our-work/work/texas-childrens-hospital-woodlands/

I've always loved this building. Good tenants including Transwestern too. https://transwestern.com/property/1900-west-loop-south

They are booming in Austin. See the development map.

Over 1 million square feet -- Four Oaks Place, owned by TIAA-CREF and managed by Transwestern.

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS From the January 28, 2005 print edition First effort calls for mixed-use project over transit center Jennifer Dawson Houston Business Journal The Metropolitan Transit Authority's first venture into stimulating real estate development along light rail is geared toward putting a mixed-use project on an existing transit center. Todd Mason's initial mission as a recently appointed Metro vice president is to identify private developers who might be interested in constructing a high-rise project for possible retail, restaurant, condo or medical office tenants over the TMC Transit Center at Fannin and Pressler. The Texas Medical Center site doubles as a combination light rail stop and terminal where buses pick up and drop off passengers. Mason plans on sending a request for qualifications to hundreds of developers within the next two months. His goal is to find a list of prospects with the capability and experience to handle such a significant project on the 4.5-acre site. Metro gained full-time access to Mason's services by signing a five-year, $2 million contract with McDade Smith Gould Johnston Mason + Co. The real estate firm's name principal and chief financial officer occupies an office in Metro's new downtown headquarters, where his duties include promoting commercial development on or near Metro properties and handling all of Metro's real estate holdings. Mason's description of his job would apply more to a for-hire contractor than a full-time employee. "Metro has outsourced their real estate department to me," Mason says. "The primary goal is to take their transit centers and park-and-ride lots that have real estate value beyond a parking lot, and get them into the private sector for joint venture-type deals." Open for ideas The inaugural effort to put a mixed-use project on a Medical Center transit hub could determine the feasibility and direction of future Metro real estate development. While hundreds will receive requests for qualifications, Mason expects to be dealing with a select few. "What I hope is we can narrow it down to six or less truly qualified developers," he says. Metro would then conduct one-on-one negotiations to see what sort of deals could be structured with various developers. Mason hopes to make a final selection for the project by June. The TMC Transit Center project is wide open for development ideas at this point. Metro may do a ground lease or sell air rights to a developer, Mason says. Or the transit agency could enter into a joint venture with a developer on the project. One likely prospect is the Morgan Group Inc., a Houston-based apartment builder with experience in developing transit-related projects in California. Company CEO Michael Morgan says the Metro project sounds interesting, but unless incentives are offered it might be difficult to turn a profit. "The Med Center is a good market, but everything is rent-sensitive," Morgan explains. "Land prices have gotten so high that it's very hard to make apartment numbers work any more." Mason points out that Metro may be able to help make the numbers work because the transit authority has other revenue potential from the deal. In addition to receiving lease payments, the development would funnel money to Metro through increased ridership and an expanded tax base, Mason says. "I don't have to get nearly as high of a return on real estate as a traditional land owner," Mason says. "In many ways, it could save on what the cost of land is." Rising demand in one of the city's hottest sub-markets also could affect financial arrangements. Paul Layne of Trizec Properties says he is not familiar with Metro's plan, but suggests a high-rise project makes sense because the Med Center area has nowhere to go but up. "I think the idea of going vertical in the Texas Medical Center has proven to be a logical element of life because of the incredible density they have there," Layne says. "That's smart business." Fee sharing Commercial developer David Wolff came up with the idea of retaining private real estate professionals following his appointment as Metro board chairman in 2004. Wolff and Metro President Frank Wilson interviewed several firms before hiring McDade Smith, Mason says. "We'll make Metro a very business-friendly, forward-thinking entity," says Mason. "I think I can create value for them." For $400,000 a year, Metro gets Mason on a full-time basis, as well as McDade Smith broker Jeff Lindenberger and an administrative person. "We had to have the base fee if I was going to devote all of my time to the account," Mason says. "We worked out a compensation package that incentified me." As Metro properties are bought and sold, McDade Smith will attach regular brokerage fees to the transactions. Metro will receive 75 percent of the commission revenue until the agency's $400,000 investment is recovered in any given year. If brisk real estate activity pushes the amount past the $400,000 mark, the brokerage fee revenue will be split 50-50 between Metro and the real estate firm, Mason says. The transit authority also gains access to the experienced McDade Smith team as part of the contract. "Two heads are better than one. Fifteen heads are better than two," Mason says. Estimating income from development deals along rail lines may be difficult at this point, but Mason's status as Metro's real estate czar provides access to other revenue streams. A big share of the brokerage team's earnings could come in divesting Metro properties, an activity that has received little attention in the past. Metro owns some 1,500 sites around Houston, and it's Mason's job to help determine the worth of each one. Looking ahead Market demand and Metro's ownership of the property made the TMC Transit Center a logical place to test the real estate development waters. But existing design factors also attracted Mason. The center consists of a series of bus platforms and stairs that climb to a skybridge and link to the light rail stop on Fannin. The skybridge one day will connect to a University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center building scheduled for construction. Instead of building upon an existing base structure, a developer would have to design a project that could be constructed above the platforms and moored to the ground. "It's already designed to be able to build a high-rise on that site with the transit center below it," explains Mason. "They put the footings into the ground to be able to build a high-rise above the transit center." Mason envisions more than one tower being constructed, possibly a high-rise and a midrise. With the wheels set in motion, Mason already is looking at a second possible development site -- the 6.7-acre Wheeler-Blodgett station. Mason says he won't move forward until the Federal Transportation Administration makes a recommendation as to whether another rail line could eventually intersect and increase the site's value. Somewhere down the road, other development possibilities may include strip retail centers at various park-and-ride lots or multifamily developments on or near them, he says. Switching to his sales agent hat, Mason says one site that may soon be declared surplus Metro property could attract quite a bit of attention from buyers. The 12-acre tract occupied by an underutilized park-and-ride is located next to a Wal-Mart north of Interstate 10 and west of the Beltway. Mason's goals over the next five years are to maximize Metro's real estate holdings and capitalize on transit center land values. "It's an opportunity to do something really neat for the city of Houston," Mason says. "If we're successful, I think we can put some things on the map."

there has been a sign for over a year now off the north i-10 feeder past barker cypress for a new texas childrens hospital. has anyone heard anymore about this new development? and is interfin ever going to develop the land north of i-10 at grand parkway because that was where the 'new' galleria was supposed to be built. I think they are in impending lawsuits with katy mills mall, but I am not too sure.

Seems we missed this renovation. Per this report by BISNOW extensive renovations are set to finish end of summer. Looks like all these new urban core projects all of the city are setting off an arms race among the older crop of towers and office buildings. Its exciting to see because that kind of competition only means better things for us all. Its about time too because these buildings from the early to late 90's need to start updating and market pressures seeing to it that they do. Developer: Transwestern Architect: CDI Douglass Pye Inc Estimated Completion: End of Summer From BISNOW: (image of the existing building)

I see this Transwestern sign every day. I can't seem to locate the property on Transwestern's website. It's across from Metro's light rail center and admin offices.

Multifamily development by Transwestern planned off of Wood Hollow Dr. on 3.1 acres. http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/01/30/plans-underway-for-luxury-multifamily-project-in.html

I spotted this sign in Cottage Grove advertising a new office building between Radcliffe and T.C. Jester along I-10. The lot was cleared a while back. I couldn't find a posting on this, but I also didn't look too long. The sign must have gone up recently. It wasn't in the February street view. This seems odd: skybridge and mid-2018 completion?

Another development for west Houston by Transwestern. Mostly office buildings but I'm guessing this project will come with some other use as well. Located at Highway 6 and I-10. Munoz Albin is the architect. Two, 6-Story Office Buildings (one pictured)14-Story Office Building16-Story Office Building (pictured)

There is a teaser form Transwestern in today's HBJ - see attached. Any ideas what it may be about?

Clay Beltway Office Complex Developer: Transwestern Location: Northwest corner of W. Sam Houston Parkway and Clay Road Size: Two buildings: 14 stories with 350,000 square feet and 12 stories with 300,000 square feet Architect: Odell Status: Proposed Rendering is fourth one: http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2012/07/the-lowdown-on-the-projects-in-the-energy-corridor/#6207-4

I couldn't find a thread on this elsewhere on HAIF, but as usual it's probably out there somewhere. Eldridge Oaks (Eldridge Parkway at Enclave Parkway) has been announced to have two office towers. The first tower is supposed to be finished in Fall 2009 with 350,000 square feet. Anyone want to guess how many stories that is?

Is it just me or does the Times Square Shopping Center, near the south western corner of I-10 and Grand Parkway look crappy with all of the street signs out front. This is the gateway to the South Katy region with very high traffic counts and it seems every tenent is competing on the curb with temp signs to get your attention. Some even park seldom run vehicles out front with signs on them as well. Are there no code violations taking place here? Does the landlord require permanent signs? It is a nice place, but it has the appearance of Harwin Dr. in the Sharpstown area.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5563713.html