Discovery West: Mixed-Use Development Downtown By Skanska

[j_cuevas713]

Just now, JBTX said:

"Going to be" as opposed to "is?"

It’ll just be more glaring once Skanska builds it’s tower.

[Paco Jones]

Updated renderings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HtownWxBoy]

It's amazing how much this part of Downtown has changed / continues to change with the help of Discovery Green.  When I moved here in 2002 I wouldn't even consider walking by this area... now it's my neighborhood. 

[j_cuevas713]

20 minutes ago, HtownWxBoy said:

It's amazing how much this part of Downtown has changed / continues to change with the help of Discovery Green.  When I moved here in 2002 I wouldn't even consider walking by this area... now it's my neighborhood. 

Lord it was hideous. We’ve come a long way. 

[Response]

It's amazing how a nice park can turn a frog into a prince. 

[tangledwoods]

god those renderings are SEXY!  I love how they have segmented the building into targeted tenant chunks.  The semi-open garage is going to be interesting, that is always a tricky element on podium towers so hopefully the detailing will pay dividends. 

I cant help but see this a a major contrast against what is to me a bland Hines Block 58.  I know the location is very different and drives the design to an extent but I can see this building commanding higher rents than the other vanilla ice cream recent downtown projects (including their owner cap tower).

[sapo2367]

11 hours ago, HtownWxBoy said:

It's amazing how much this part of Downtown has changed / continues to change with the help of Discovery Green.  When I moved here in 2002 I wouldn't even consider walking by this area... now it's my neighborhood. 

Is that a helipad in the park?

Wonderful to see this area get built out, gives me hope for the other oceans of asphalt in downtown.

[Montrose1100]

That's a shame about the podium/open air garage. 

[wilcal]

This was just posted in the bicycle advisory committee infrastructure meeting. Staging for this project is going to block the bike lane so a temporary bike lane is going to be made, and the developer is going to pay for the temporary polk st segment to become permanent in addition to restoring it along lamar/crawford after construction.

26 month construction for the project and the start is imminent. Temp bike lane going in as soon as next week.

[Response]

On 5/24/2021 at 9:31 PM, HtownWxBoy said:

It's amazing how much this part of Downtown has changed / continues to change with the help of Discovery Green.  When I moved here in 2002 I wouldn't even consider walking by this area... now it's my neighborhood. 

My God! Imagine how people who hate everything in Houston now musta felt back then. 

 

[Nate99]

25 minutes ago, Response said:

My God! Imagine how people who hate everything in Houston now musta felt back then. 

 

I knew the family owners of the building and business (a pest control chemical company) at the corner of Jackson/Polk to the south of the convention center that had been there for decades.  It was frequently robbed and wasn't anywhere anyone wanted to be. It's around the Hilton's loading dock area now.  

The whole convention center/DG area transformation since the early 80's is mind boggling. 

[HouTXRanger]

2 hours ago, wilcal said:

This was just posted in the bicycle advisory committee infrastructure meeting. Staging for this project is going to block the bike lane so a temporary bike lane is going to be made, and the developer is going to pay for the temporary polk st segment to become permanent in addition to restoring it along lamar/crawford after construction.

26 month construction for the project and the start is imminent. Temp bike lane going in as soon as next week.

They're putting up a temporary bike lane for construction blockage? That's insane! It's like someone, somewhere treats the bike lanes as actual transportation infrastructure . . .

[mollusk]

On 5/24/2021 at 9:31 PM, HtownWxBoy said:

It's amazing how much this part of Downtown has changed / continues to change with the help of Discovery Green.  When I moved here in 2002 I wouldn't even consider walking by this area... now it's my neighborhood. 

And who could forget the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston... (from Wikipedia)

Sounded like a bunch of angry bees during practice the week or so before.

[MidCenturyMoldy]

16 minutes ago, mollusk said:

And who could forget the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston... (from Wikipedia)

 

Sounded like a bunch of angry bees during practice the week or so before.

I could hear those “bees” from my house in Montrose. I watched a bit of the race from the comfort of a nearby parking garage. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by MidCenturyMoldy

[bobruss]

1 hour ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I could hear those “bees” from my house in Montrose. I watched a bit of the race from the comfort of a nearby parking garage. 

We watched the race from our balcony over Crawford at Franklin and at the beginning of the race one of the jet squadrons flew right down Crawford and shook our windows like they were going to fall out. The cars would come right down Crawford and during the week they practiced on the raceway and it did sound like bees the whole week. 

[asubrt]

3 hours ago, mollusk said:

And who could forget the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston... (from Wikipedia)

Sounded like a bunch of angry bees during practice the week or so before.

Maybe I'm just used to the much more intricate F1 layouts, but that seems like a pretty lame race track (as far as turns go; a Downtown Houston race would be awesome to watch for the location/scenery).

[j_cuevas713]

5 hours ago, HouTXRanger said:

They're putting up a temporary bike lane for construction blockage? That's insane! It's like someone, somewhere treats the bike lanes as actual transportation infrastructure . . .

I was thinking the same thing! Finally some attention to pedestrians

[JBTX]

11 hours ago, asubrt said:

Maybe I'm just used to the much more intricate F1 layouts, but that seems like a pretty lame race track (as far as turns go; a Downtown Houston race would be awesome to watch for the location/scenery).

I, for one, would love to see a Houston F1 GP combining parts of downtown with Memorial/Allen. 

[tangledwoods]

Quote

I, for one, would love to see a Houston F1 GP combining parts of downtown with Memorial/Allen. 

send it through montrose, we would have 20 DNF's.....

Back to the topic, major props to the Skanska folks for thinking about the cycling folks.

[hindesky]

They haven't blocked the bicycle lane on Lamar so far but they closed off the lane for cars on Crawford but left the bike lane there. Entire area has the construction fencing.

 

[hindesky]

This going to crank up soon. They have 2 lanes closed off on La Branch.

[Highrise Tower]

2 hours ago, hindesky said:

This going to crank up soon. They have 2 lanes closed off on La Branch.

Sitework permit issued.

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

(not a repeat)

[hindesky]

So I got to talk with the site superintendent Tommy. Asked him a bunch of questions. First, this will start next week with surveying and core drilling and a ground breaking ceremony will take place in about 1 week. Then they will start digging and the hole which will be about 30' deep. He said they have to take a lot of precautions because of how close it will be next to the hotel. He was in the process of filling all the orange barricades with water  as required by the city. He wanted to push the barricades onto the bike trail on Lamar as @wilcal mentioned but said there is an event this weekend so will wait till next week. He already has barricades up on Polk St. for the temporary bike trail.

I asked him about the Skanska Westmont and he said that project is still in the planning stages and doesn't see it happening anytime soon. Wasn't sure about the temporary drive in and they don't have any permits in place for that as of now.

The other Skanska building across the street from this will be a hotel & condos. Didn't know a timeline for it though.

Edited June 19, 2021 by hindesky

[Urbannizer]

Here's some positive news to end the night-(or to start your morning).

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-invests-usd-225m--about-sek-1-9-billion--in-the-office-development-project-1550-on-the-green,c3373477

Located at 1550 Lamar Street, adjacent to Discovery Green, in downtown Houston, Skanska plans to develop and build a 28-floor, 34,800 square meter office tower. 1550 on the Green will be the first part of a three-block master plan by Skanska, which will transform the parcels into a distinguished district known as Discovery West and consist of 3.5 acres of mixed-use development full of restaurants, retail and lush green space.  The project will target LEED and WiredScore Platinum certifications.

Construction is expected to begin in June 2021 and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

[MarathonMan]

Skanska does good work — I’m looking forward to seeing this one rise.  And it marks the final development immediately adjacent to Discovery Green!  No more surface parking lots flanking the park. 😊

[Twinsanity02]

6 hours ago, Urbannizer said:

Here's some positive news to end the night-(or to start your morning).

https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-invests-usd-225m--about-sek-1-9-billion--in-the-office-development-project-1550-on-the-green,c3373477

It is good news. I assume the three blocks mentioned are the surface parking lots flanked by Austin and LaBranch streets near  Discovery Green.

 

 

[nate4l1f3]

3 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

 

And don’t they own the half block on the Marrow lot?

[hindesky]

6 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

And don’t they own the half block on the Marrow lot?

They own the green colored lots, this was created by @TheSirDingle

[nate4l1f3]

2 minutes ago, hindesky said:

They own the green colored lots, this was created by @TheSirDingle

Thanks! This is why we need sticky posts within threads. 
 

The little quarter purple block angers me lol

Edited June 24, 2021 by nate4l1f3

[hindesky]

2 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

Thanks! This is why we need sticky posts within threads. 
 

The little quarter purple block angers me lol

I asked the site superintendent about that small section of the lot and he said he works for the construction arm of Skanska and doesn't really know what kept the Skanska development wing from purchasing that portion. To me it seems like whoever owns it is missing out on the one great opportunity to sell this.

[Houston19514]

4 minutes ago, hindesky said:

I asked the site superintendent about that small section of the lot and he said he works for the construction arm of Skanska and doesn't really know what kept the Skanska development wing from purchasing that portion. To me it seems like whoever owns it is missing out on the one great opportunity to sell this.

Golconda Ventures.  Long-term owner of a bunch of blocks in the southeast part of downtown Houston and they have historically had no interest in selling or developing.

[X.R.]

5 hours ago, MarathonMan said:

Skanska does good work — I’m looking forward to seeing this one rise.  And it marks the final development immediately adjacent to Discovery Green!  No more surface parking lots flanking the park. 😊

Did a @hindesky type ride through downtown. Say what ya want about Discovery Green as a park, but I couldn't help thinking with the amount of people who were there at 7pm on a Wednesday that so much of this development was made possible by that park and what its done for that area. City just needs some more greenery to link this area to Bagby (which is starting to look incredible), and main street's water feature and stuff helps, and I can't help but think this will continue the revitalization of downtown in a massive way.

The barriers were already spilling out onto Labranch's road a bit so I'm assuming some part of Labranch will be shut down when things really get heavy. Exciting. 

[H-Town Man]

54 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Golconda Ventures.  Long-term owner of a bunch of blocks in the southeast part of downtown Houston and they have historically had no interest in selling or developing.

I think they're an entity of the Taiwanese national oil company? Which probably has good motivation to park their money somewhere outside of Taiwan.

 

[hindesky]

Press release from Skanska

https://www.usa.skanska.com/who-we-are/media/press-releases/255449/Skanska-invests-225-million%2c-in-the-office-development-project-1550-on-the-Green-in-Houston%2c-Texas

Skanska invests $225 million, in the office development project 1550 on the Green in Houston, Texas

Press release 6/24/2021 7:00 AM EST

Skanska invests $225 million in the office development project 1550 on the Green in Houston, Texas. The construction contract is worth $125 million which will be included in the US order bookings for the second quarter 2021. The international law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has signed a 15-year lease for about 30 percent of the building.

Located at 1550 Lamar Street, adjacent to Discovery Green, in downtown Houston, Skanska plans to develop and build a 28-floor, 34,800 square meter office tower. 1550 on the Green will be the first part of a three-block master plan by Skanska, which will transform the parcels into a distinguished district known as Discovery West and consist of 3.5 acres of mixed-use development full of restaurants, retail and lush green space.  The project will target LEED and WiredScore Platinum certifications.

Construction is expected to begin in June 2021 and the project is scheduled to be completed in 2024.

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by hindesky

[samagon]

27 minutes ago, X.R. said:

Did a @hindesky type ride through downtown. Say what ya want about Discovery Green as a park, but I couldn't help thinking with the amount of people who were there at 7pm on a Wednesday that so much of this development was made possible by that park and what its done for that area. City just needs some more greenery to link this area to Bagby (which is starting to look incredible), and main street's water feature and stuff helps, and I can't help but think this will continue the revitalization of downtown in a massive way.

The barriers were already spilling out onto Labranch's road a bit so I'm assuming some part of Labranch will be shut down when things really get heavy. Exciting. 

maybe it's just the surrounding buildings, but the main street water feature just feels like a cold lifeless area to me.

I'd love to see the fountain between Lamar and McKinney replaced with something like what they have in the flanking street areas that are ped only.

[hindesky]

Construction signage has gone up and the barricades moved onto the Lamar bike path.

[hindesky]

 

Skanska reveals plans for downtown office tower

When a collection of surface parking lots on the southwest edge of Discovery Green went up for sale in 2019, executives at Skanska, developer of downtown’s Bank of America Tower, could immediately see the possibilities.

Robert Ward, the chief executive of Skanska USA Commercial Development, could imagine the site as home to a mixed-use development that interfaced with the park, similar to the scenes surrounding city parks he had seen in Sweden, where Skanska is based. “Being close to a park is great,” he said.

Skanska moved closer to realizing that vision on Thursday morning, breaking ground on the project’s first phase, a 28-story office building at 1550 Lamar St. The building is expected to be completed in 2024 and will be anchored by Norton Rose Fulbright, the third-largest law firm in America. The firm’s name will adorn the building, which until completion will be called 1550 on the Green.

On HoustonChronicle.com: CBRE lands leasing assignment for Skanska's new downtown tower

The first floor of the 375,000-square-foot office building will feature 7,000 square feet of retail. Renderings show cafe seating spilling out of ground-level restaurants onto wide sidewalks shaded by lines of trees.

Altogether, Skanska is planning a three-block master plan in the area featuring apartments, restaurants, retail and green space in addition to the office tower. The Swedish development and construction giant acquired a 3.5 acre site, of which 1550 Lamar St. is a part, for $55 million in October 2019. The acquisition included the full block just east of the Four Seasons Hotel, bordered by Dallas, Lamar, LaBranch and Austin, as well as the property just to the east of the block, surrounding the Embassy Suites Hotel, and property just to the south.

Ward said that when Skanska held sessions with architects and downtown community organizations to envision the possibilities of the site, they asked themselves not only what tenants want today, but also what tenants will value in the future.

He said a design focused on the outdoors, wellness and convenience answered both questions. The office tower features two tenant-exclusive rooftop terraces, sweeping views of the park, lots of natural light and a touchless system that allows tenants to move through turnstiles and guests to register over app with ease.

Also with an eye to the future, the project was built to be sustainable.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mayor Sylvester Turner lauded that effort, reminding the audience that the energy capital of the world is going through an energy transition, and that major cities must help fight climate change.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Skanska-reveals-plans-for-downtown-office-tower-16272686.php

[hindesky]

[pacarlson]

Any official structure height for this one yet?  I'm guessing it has a reasonable chance to exceed 400' given trending FF office heights.

[TheSirDingle]

5 hours ago, pacarlson said:

Any official structure height for this one yet?  I'm guessing it has a reasonable chance to exceed 400' given trending FF office heights.

I'm betting 508' total, so shorter than one park place and taller than Hess tower. Knock on wood, but I'm betting every building in this development will be in the 500'+ range. 

[Big E]

1 hour ago, TheSirDingle said:

I'm betting 508' total, so shorter than one park place and taller than Hess tower. Knock on wood, but I'm betting every building in this development will be in the 500'+ range. 

I'm willing to bet that this will probably be the shortest building in the development.

 

On 6/24/2021 at 12:00 PM, Houston19514 said:

Golconda Ventures.  Long-term owner of a bunch of blocks in the southeast part of downtown Houston and they have historically had no interest in selling or developing.

You know, the city should really penalize property owners who own surface parking lots or undeveloped lots downtown and refuse to develop them or sell them.

[H-Town Man]

10 minutes ago, Big E said:

You know, the city should really penalize property owners who own surface parking lots or undeveloped lots downtown and refuse to develop them or sell them.

There would be no legal or constitutional basis for doing this. Part of the right to own property is the right not to sell it. This was a natural right before a lot of other things that people consider natural rights.

On the other hand, the city has condemned property in this part of town when it was needed for the Toyota Center.

[jmitch94]

6 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

There would be no legal or constitutional basis for doing this. Part of the right to own property is the right not to sell it. This was a natural right before a lot of other things that people consider natural rights.

On the other hand, the city has condemned property in this part of town when it was needed for the Toyota Center.

You could create tax incentives or penalties that could help push development though. 

[BeerNut]

9 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

You could create tax incentives or penalties that could help push development though. 

We already had the Downtown Living Initiative and Opportunity Zones.  Not sure if penalties would fly in TX.  Maybe when the foreign oil company that owns several of the lots downtown sales their lots their will be a dramatic change.

[H-Town Man]

11 hours ago, jmitch94 said:

You could create tax incentives or penalties that could help push development though. 

There already is a tax penalty - they have to pay a bunch of property tax every year on the land as it sits there. And there are positive incentives, as BeerNut mentioned. You can't really do much more without endangering Houston's reputation as a good place for investment. We want more foreign money flowing into Houston because it benefits us, on the whole. We don't want to scare away what foreign money we have.

We also aren't anywhere close to a point where we need Golconda's land to continue growing and improving downtown. Skanska has a pretty big chunk of land that will take them most of a decade to develop to its highest potential. There are numerous sites around Market Square, Jones Plaza, Minute Maid Park, and all along Main Street that are ready to be developed. By reducing the supply of available land, you actually get better projects on the remaining land, something that Austin has experienced with its Capitol View Corridors. So don't worry.

 

[Twinsanity02]

 Downtown surface parking lots may have to be placed in an  "endangered species". Their boom times were the 1970's through the 1990's. They appear to be disappearing. My concern are the hideous high rise garages which bludgeon the eye, such as one can sees at Main and Walker. The ideal would be high rise garages such as the one at Preston and Louisiana.

[tangledwoods]

Two 3D spin around renderings are now on the sales site:

1550 on the Green

 

[AREJAY]

5 hours ago, tangledwoods said:

Two 3D spin around renderings are now on the sales site:

1550 on the Green

 

looking at the top floor 360 render, it looks like this will be right up there in height with one park place (518 ft), maybe a few feet shorter. 

[staresatmaps]

13 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

 Downtown surface parking lots may have to be placed in an  "endangered species". Their boom times were the 1970's through the 1990's. They appear to be disappearing. My concern are the hideous high rise garages which bludgeon the eye, such as one can sees at Main and Walker. The ideal would be high rise garages such as the one at Preston and Louisiana.

I'm all for high density parking with at least some ground floor retail. It's a million times better than the equivalent 8-10 surface lots. There's no point in worrying about beauty until we obtain the walkability to enjoy the beauty.

Edited June 30, 2021 by staresatmaps