Research Forest Lakeside: Mixed-Use Development In The Woodlands

[lockmat]

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1472.jpg

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1474.jpg

 

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1473.jpg

 

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1475.jpg

 

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1476.jpg

 

http://www.zieglercooper.com/images/proj1477.jpg

Quote

ZC+O recently completed master planning and design services for a 76-acre, heavily-wooded site fronting Lake Woodlands. The mixed-use site features a beautiful setting for two existing Hewitt Buildings and allows for several additional office buildings with superb lake views.

The Master Plan optimizes the natural features of the site; Woodlands Lake and the preservation of the pine forest environment that characterizes The Woodlands. A crescent arrangement of buildings creates view corridors for each, and from the arrival courts as well. The plan allows the development to function as independently addressed buildings, or potentially, as a single corporate campus. Parking decks are shielded by generous stands of mature pines and undergrowth, and lined with support retail on the street. Additional parcels accommodate mid rise office buildings, flex space and low rise structures.

Research Forest Lakeside consists of ten office buildings and convenience retail totaling over 1,798,398 square feet. ZC+O splayed four of the eight new office buildings along the lakeside to gain unobstructed views and efficient solar orientation. The long facade of each building faces southward, placing the short ends of each building east and west, minimizing solar heat gain. Sustainable considerations were at the center of all the design decisions on this LEED Gold project. Each facade utilizes different transparent and reflective low-e, high performance, and insulated glass depending on the orientation. Sun shades at 7´-4" above each floor prevent direct solar gain on the all-glass facade and reflect natural light deep into the space. Tall 9´-6" ceilings allow maximum natural light to penetrate the offices.

The narrow end of each building subtly curves suggesting the shape of a full sail while the southern glass facades extend past the buildings´ corners creating a dramatic reveal. The buildings´ glass parapets further evoke a nautical-like image by gently rising from west to east.

Phase I of Research Forest Lakeside, will begin with a 3-story, 68,000 gross-square-feet speculative office building located at the southern tip of the site near the entrance off Lake Woodlands Drive and fronting on Lake Woodlands. The buildings flexible design will accommodate single tenant or smaller multi-tenant users which are common in the Woodlands market.

 

http://www.zieglercooper.com/projects.asp?indid=42&projid=141

[editor]

Seems a little boring and sterile to me. And where are those people walking to? I don't see any indication of street level retail or restaurants.

I'd like to see the renderings again without the cars all ghosted out, and with some realistic traffic drawn in.

[lockmat]

I think they're just walking to/from their cars.

[bachanon]

interesting..........

is this the existing plan for this site or is it recent?

[lockmat]

interesting..........

is this the existing plan for this site or is it recent?

This is brand new to Ziegler Cooper. They haven't built anything in addition to what's existing: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=the+woodlands,+tx&safe=strict&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=The+Woodlands,+Montgomery,+Texas&ll=30.173105,-95.475054&spn=0.010425,0.01929&t=h&z=16

[RedScare]

The mixed-use site...

Apparently, this means they will have both office buildings AND parking garages.

[bachanon]

(sigh)

i wonder if the springwoods village announcement has set other potential developments in motion? 4 waterway avenue isn't full. is there demand for more office space in the woodlands area right now?

i guess the site plan showing up on zc doesn't necessarily mean anything is happening soon.

[wxman]

I like the buildings. Too bad they will be largely hidden from view.

[lockmat]

http://www.chron.com...ff/7260546.html

The owner of 76 acres along Lake Woodlands is moving forward with a recently completed master plan for the site that includes more than 1.4 million square feet of office space in eight new buildings.

Warmack Investments, which has owned the land for about five years, plans to break ground on the first building early next year.

It will be the first in a series of office structures to be developed on the site, which is already home to two buildings leased to Hewitt Associates, a human resources consulting firm that recently combined with insurance conglomerate Aon.

Including the Hewitt buildings, the master plan calls for 1.9 million square feet of space, a small portion of which will be used for retail.

The first building, which is not contingent on bank financing, will be developed on a speculative basis, or without any leases. It will contain 66,000 square feet in three stories when it opens roughly a year from now.

The developer hopes to have larger buildings leased before starting construction.

The architectural team of Ziegler Cooper and Odell Associates designed the master plan, which outlines an energy-efficient development that aims to attain Gold certification through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Edited October 24, 2010 by lockmat

[lockmat]

...are pleased to announce the groundbreaking of Building 2 on February 10th at 10am. Slated for delivery in the fourth quarter, Building 2 is the first phase of a 1.8 million sq. ft. master planned, mixed-use development comprised of ten office buildings and supporting retail. The three-story, 68,000 gross sq. ft. speculative office building features curved lakefront facade with full-height, 9’6” glass; dramatic lake side arrival court with terraces to the waterfront trails; elegant, class A lobby finishes; efficient and flexible floor plates suitable for single or multi-tenant users; LEED Silver Certification; and forest preserve and native landscaping.

http://zieglercooper...eaking-for.html

development website:

http://researchforestlakeside.com/

Edited February 4, 2011 by lockmat

[bachanon]

this will be visible from lake woodlands bridge and somewhat from research forest, right?

[swtsig]

(sigh)

i wonder if the springwoods village announcement has set other potential developments in motion? 4 waterway avenue isn't full. is there demand for more office space in the woodlands area right now?

i guess the site plan showing up on zc doesn't necessarily mean anything is happening soon.

office demand is gaining a ton of momentum in the woodlands and it haseverything to do with everyone fleeing the greenspoint area mainly due to exxon's forthcoming departure. i'd expect to see a couple of tenant-lead office buildings pop up over the next year or two.

[bachanon]

i read recently that 4 waterway square is more than 70% leased and there's buzz about 2 waterway square moving forward.

[bachanon]

by the way, there is a crane up in the aon/hewitt campus. i can see it from waterway square area buildings and a little bit from research forest.

[LTAWACS]

Editor is right... this is bland and boring.

[livincinco]

Editor is right... this is bland and boring.

I just want to make sure that I've got this right - 8 new buildings - 1.4 m sq ft - LEEDS certified w/ retail - bland and boring.

Is it the project or the location that you guys consider bland and boring? My guess is that this group would be collectively hyperventilating if this was being built inside the loop.

[bachanon]

i think what they mean is that the architecture is plain. it's clean, sleek, but nothing new, certainly nothing too interesting.

that being said, it is cool to think that the woodlands "skyline" is growing outside of town center. the simcity player in me is already connecting the commercially zoned areas between town center, shenandoah and the research forest. the crane at aon/hewitt (research forest) is not too far from memorial hermann's crane for new six or seven story building (shenandoah). a crane recently came down at the luxury senior community on the waterway (town center/eastshore) and a crane at 2 waterway square may be in the works (town center/waterway square). to see three cranes up in such a small area is exciting.

even though the architecture leaves much to be desired, it's fun to watch it be constructed.

did i just hyperventilate?

[wxman]

I just want to make sure that I've got this right - 8 new buildings - 1.4 m sq ft - LEEDS certified w/ retail - bland and boring.

Is it the project or the location that you guys consider bland and boring? My guess is that this group would be collectively hyperventilating if this was being built inside the loop.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't know when people are going to realize that The Woodlands is NOT that far out and that it IS a nice place to live and there is a LOT to offer here. I see jealousy written all over some of these posts. Bachanon, what is Waterway 2 and how many floors/sq. ft is it? Where will it's location be?

Edited April 10, 2011 by wxman

[RedScare]

office demand is gaining a ton of momentum in the woodlands and it haseverything to do with everyone fleeing the greenspoint area mainly due to exxon's forthcoming departure. i'd expect to see a couple of tenant-lead office buildings pop up over the next year or two.

Actually, according to this report, The Woodlands is losing office occupancy share, while Greenspoint is gaining. Certainly, Greenspoint took a hit during 2009, but that had everything to do with the recession and the bottoming out of oil prices, and nothing to do with Exxon's impending departure. The Woodlands held up fairly well during the recession, but has tanked during the current year, actually achieving net absorption during the 1st quarter of 2011.

I am confident that The Woodlands will recover nicely, but their current numbers do not induce either jealousy or hyperventilation...at least from me.

[bachanon]

I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't know when people are going to realize that The Woodlands is NOT that far out and that it IS a nice place to live and there is a LOT to offer here. I see jealousy written all over some of these posts. Bachanon, what is Waterway 2 and how many floors/sq. ft is it? Where will it's location be?

2 waterway is next door to 4 waterway and at the corner of woodloch forest and lake robbins. i think it is planned to be under 10 stories. it will have retail at street level.

[TheNiche]

office demand is gaining a ton of momentum in the woodlands and it haseverything to do with everyone fleeing the greenspoint area mainly due to exxon's forthcoming departure. i'd expect to see a couple of tenant-lead office buildings pop up over the next year or two.

If you are implying that The Woodlands is a competitor with Greenspoint, then an anticipated increase in Greenspoint's vacancy hardly bodes well for market fundamentals in either Greenspoint or The Woodlands.

[LTAWACS]

If you are implying that The Woodlands is a competitor with Greenspoint, then an anticipated increase in Greenspoint's vacancy hardly bodes well for market fundamentals in either Greenspoint or The Woodlands.

This seems to make sense. Not sure what the correct technical terms are but it seems that the two serve different niches (much like demographic niches). So if the "lower class" is bottoming out then so will the rest. Is this correct?

[Trae]

office demand is gaining a ton of momentum in the woodlands and it haseverything to do with everyone fleeing the greenspoint area mainly due to exxon's forthcoming departure. i'd expect to see a couple of tenant-lead office buildings pop up over the next year or two.

I wonder what the future holds for Greenspoint. That place needs some help if this is true.

Edit: Just read Red's post.

Edited April 12, 2011 by Trae

[TheNiche]

This seems to make sense. Not sure what the correct technical terms are but it seems that the two serve different niches (much like demographic niches). So if the "lower class" is bottoming out then so will the rest. Is this correct?

In commercial real estate, the different classes of buildings and the tenants that they appeal to are described as A, B, C, and D. I would consider the core office buildings comprising the Greenspoint submarket to be solid Class B or B+ properties. That is competitive with a Class A product if the price point can be made attractive. A case in point is that instead of building a suburban campus, KBR renewed their leases on Jefferson Street, in buildings that might be Class C if they weren't tall and well-located. Exxon, itself, isn't exactly going out of its way to develop anything flashy and has always been fairly well-grounded in terms of its bricks-and-mortar decisions.

Don't get me wrong, there are tenants that are very status-conscious and that will lease space in whatever is the newest building. The Woodlands will win over a bunch of those (particularly in the 'small business' category), however Greenspoint is still much better located for most commuters and for businesses that require frequent out-of-state and international travel, and still has some decent buildings. I don't think that it's too much of a stretch to say that the two share from the same pool of demand, even if the demand does segregate itself out geographically.

[swtsig]

Actually, according to this report, The Woodlands is losing office occupancy share, while Greenspoint is gaining. Certainly, Greenspoint took a hit during 2009, but that had everything to do with the recession and the bottoming out of oil prices, and nothing to do with Exxon's impending departure. The Woodlands held up fairly well during the recession, but has tanked during the current year, actually achieving net absorption during the 1st quarter of 2011.

I am confident that The Woodlands will recover nicely, but their current numbers do not induce either jealousy or hyperventilation...at least from me.

the report you posted shows a -9K absorption number for the woodlands, while the numbers i have show +50K thru 1q11... it depends where you're sourcing your numbers as everyonwe tracks them differently. additionally, i know of one and likely 2 major tenants, both currently in greenspoint, that will be vacating their current digs for new ones in the woodlands and neither one of them goes by the name of exxon. i also know of several multifloor tenants who have relocated or intend on relocating from greenspoint to the woodlands in the near future.

exxon's departure spells doom for the greenspoint area imo... major tenants do not want to stick around in a ghostown where many of their employees feel unsafe and the amenity pool is shrinking. with the proposed grand parkway construction, hardy toll road, etc transportation between IAH and the woodlands is not a major concern. as most greenspoint employees likely live on the northside anyways, the woodlands is a logical place for many tenants to consider and the amenities that the woodlands provide is a huge draw to large tenants and their employees.

[TheNiche]

the report you posted shows a -9K absorption number for the woodlands, while the numbers i have show +50K thru 1q11... it depends where you're sourcing your numbers as everyonwe tracks them differently. additionally, i know of one and likely 2 major tenants, both currently in greenspoint, that will be vacating their current digs for new ones in the woodlands and neither one of them goes by the name of exxon. i also know of several multifloor tenants who have relocated or intend on relocating from greenspoint to the woodlands in the near future.

exxon's departure spells doom for the greenspoint area imo... major tenants do not want to stick around in a ghostown where many of their employees feel unsafe and the amenity pool is shrinking. with the proposed grand parkway construction, hardy toll road, etc transportation between IAH and the woodlands is not a major concern. as most greenspoint employees likely live on the northside anyways, the woodlands is a logical place for many tenants to consider and the amenities that the woodlands provide is a huge draw to large tenants and their employees.

Like Red, I'm not about to advance the claim that The Woodlands is doing poorly. It is definitely a stronger Class A market. That said, I will maintain that a bunch of vacant office space in the next closest office submarket cannot possibly help them.

To pronounce "doom" for Greenspoint seems far-fetched, however. What kinds of amenities do you think will go away when Exxon moves out? The reverse may be true, that property owners in a more competitive marketplace will renovate their buildings to be more competitive. And after all, the Grand Parkway is still years away from being built, Greenspoint is still at a major crossroads, and it is still 15 miles nearer to the airport and to the bulk of the labor market.

[bachanon]

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2012/03/02/repsol-services-fills-own-need-for.html

looks as if another building in research forest lakeside will get off the ground.

[bachanon]

crane is up for the next building. it's taller than the pine trees. definitely multi-story...........on second look, it's way taller than the pine trees, must be at least eight (per info above).

[bachanon]

...............sarnoff reported in january that it's 12 stories.

"The Talisman lease is split between two buildings, a 68,000-square-foot property that was recently completed, and a 12-story, 300,000-square-foot tower that will break ground this year. Both buildings have been designed to attain certain levels of LEED certification by ZC+O, a collaboration between Ziegler Cooper Architects and Odell Associates."

i thought that crane was kinda tall.

[TowerSpotter]

This is a full rendering of the Research Forrest Lakeside