Chevron Skyscraper Proposal At 1600 Louisiana St.

[ig2ba]

Once the employees have kids, the vast majority of them move to the suburbs where there's room to play, better schools, and better activities. Those of us who live in the City are the exception.

 

This will all be a wonderful experiment: which company will attract more employees - the one based in the suburbs or the one in downtown?

 

Exxon is certainly very convenient for people on the north side but nearly impossible (long-term) for people living in Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, or Clear Lake. Chevron is very convenient for only some workers, but is doable for almost any employee on any side of town, especially when all of the HOV lanes and express buses head towards downtown (and not towards some secluded forest location).

 

I can tell you this for sure - there will be employees switching from Exxon to Chevron and Chevron to Exxon (and similar companies). In fact, it's happening already.

[ricco67]

It just occurred to me... I wonder how many Exxon Employees are going to try to jump ship and work for Chevron?   I've been talking to a huge number of Exxon employees and plenty of them are not happy about going to the campus.

[ig2ba]

Is it just me, or does the western half after the recessed area look taller than the eastern part?

 

Good catch. I really wonder what that could be. I'd like to see a rendering of the north side of the building.

[ig2ba]

It just occurred to me... I wonder how many Exxon Employees are going to try to jump ship and work for Chevron?   I've been talking to a huge number of Exxon employees and plenty of them are not happy about going to the campus.

 

I've heard the same. One guy wants to stay inside the Loop because of his wife's work (living in the northern burbs wouldn't be practical), but is none too pleased about the move. And they have kids. We shouldn't assume that having a family means you automatically want to move to the burbs and that of course The Woodlands is the most desirable suburb.

[ricco67]

I've heard the same. One guy wants to stay inside the Loop because of his wife's work (living in the northern burbs wouldn't be practical), but is none too pleased about the move. And they have kids. We shouldn't assume that having a family means you automatically want to move to the burbs and that of course The Woodlands is the most desirable suburb.

 

What is the final straw to a number of them, are those that are located south of the city would be denied a moving stipend because it isn't far enough.

[lockmat]

On the bright side, the commute going north on 45 is excellent. I take it and never have to slow down.

[Gary]

The problem with exterior features is all related to the cost of curtain wall.  About 5 years ago the bottom fell out of the glass market and something called unitized curtain wall started to become the norm.  Unitized curtain wall has a ton of benefits beyond traditional stick built glazing including: (energy performance, structural performance, keeping water out performance).

 

Once unitized systems became the standard, it became cost prohibitive to do anything else in the spandrel portion of the facade.  We can use metal panels, stone, etc but in order to keep cost down they are typically glazed into the curtain wall.  Combine that with the fact that there are less than 10 proven unitized designs on the market right now leads us to the era of "the boring glass box"

 

Architects are fighting this like mad but they are up against significant challenges from developers (cost).  We are seeing products start to compete but this glass box trend is going to be around for a while.

 

Great post. Wasn't aware of the "unitized curtain wall".

[Gator80]

I'm just happy to see Chevron making such a strong commitment to downtown. Of course I wish the architecture was more striking and that the building was taller. I have serious doubts that any of us over the age of 30 will live to see anything resembling the trophy towers put up 30 years ago happen again in our lifetimes. With few exceptions like Transco those were put up for regional banks and that world doesn't exist anymore.

[King Owl]

I'm just happy to see Chevron making such a strong commitment to downtown. Of course I wish the architecture was more striking and that the building was taller. I have serious doubts that any of us over the age of 30 will live to see anything resembling the trophy towers put up 30 years ago happen again in our lifetimes. With few exceptions like Transco those were put up for regional banks and that world doesn't exist anymore.

 

not sure how you can make that claim when Devon built that beauty in OKC

[Montrose1100]

not sure how you can make that claim when Devon built that beauty in OKC

It's only a beauty because everything else in that city is ugly. Had it been built in our downtown it would only have been a "filler". Imagine BG Group Place was built in San Antonio, it would be their signature.

Edit: Maybe San Antonio is a bad example, because they actually have some beautiful high rises. Let's use El Paso or Fort Worth instead.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Montrose1100

[LarryDierker]

850 feet would surely be a bit more than filler.

[Fortune]

I agree if the Devon tower was built here people would be complaining that it is boring and shaped like a box.

[lockmat]

I agree if the Devon tower was built here people would be complaining that it is boring and shaped like a box.

Really?

It has a great crown and very nice angles. Very elegant IMO. I think it would fit in beautifully with our skyline.

[xsatyr]

I agree if the Devon tower was built here people would be complaining that it is boring and shaped like a box.

 

Except it's not a box...

 

Devon has some nice features and is a perfect example on how to differentiate from a glass box. Very classy and not gaudy at all.

Edited July 6, 2013 by xsatyr

[Gary]

I can't understand why some here have a problem with many of us wanting something other than glass and stucco boxes. Almost as if were being accused of being spoiled children.

 

Houston is my city of choice, and I love it. having said that I want the best for my city, and when a building comes down the pike that will forever change it's skyline, I for one am hoping for something that shines.

[Montrose1100]

850 feet would surely be a bit more than filler.

If it was outside of Downown, yeah. I consider anything that isn't greater then 250ft taller than a building a block or two away a filler. Unless it is so visually striking that it doesn't need height.

I wonder how the architects following the original tower built in 1983 took being told "same glass facade, but you can play with the shape." Cesar Pelli with the one in 2002, and now this one.

I thinks it's cool they have chosen different ones each time. I like that it will be the same color, but I wonder what other designs they have considered.

Edited July 6, 2013 by Montrose1100

[lockmat]

1.7 mil sqf in 50 floors is 34k sqf/floor, right?

The floor plates don't look nearly that big. 34k are huge floor plates, right?

[Deut28Thirteen]

The tower is not as tall or bold as many wanted but it adds to our skyline and complements the other towers downtown. Chevron wanted a cost efficient, centrally located, and comfortable office space for its employees and this new tower does that nicely. I was really hoping that they would build the city’s tallest tower but a tower that 75+ stories and 1000+ feet was probably never consider when researching what their new tower would be.

[cloud713]

1.7 mil sqf in 50 floors is 34k sqf/floor, right?

The floor plates don't look nearly that big. 34k are huge floor plates, right?

 

im sure they are including the podium in that figure too, which looks to be quite large. if you count the floors on the tower, there are 50 floors ON TOP of the podium.

[lockmat]

im sure they are including the podium in that figure too, which looks to be quite large. if you count the floors on the tower, there are 50 floors ON TOP of the podium.

That's what I figured, too. But the chron report says 1.7 sqf of "office space." The state of Texas press release just says 1.7 sqf tower, which is probably more accurate and makes more sense.

The floor plates look smallish, giving the tower a taller feel, which I like.

[Houston19514]

Except it's not a box...

 

Neither are a lot of our existing buildings, but we still routinely hear that Houston has nothing but flat-top boxes.

 

For example, one has to go down to the 9th tallest building downtown before one encounters a plain box.  (And even that (One Shell) is not really just a plain box.)

Edited July 7, 2013 by Houston19514

[cloud713]

Neither are a lot of our existing buildings, but we still routinely hear that Houston has nothing but flat-top boxes.

 

For example, one has to go down to the 9th tallest building downtown before one encounters a plain box.  (And even that (One Shell) is not really just a plain box.)

 

i agree with this for the most part. is 2IFC in Hong Kong just a boring box? its corners are squared, but its sides are rounded and has some distinct vertical lines running up the tower. im not saying this will be a 2IFC because it doesnt have a neat architectural feature at the top, but the corners of this tower are rounded off and the sides appear to be convexed outward, with two recessed sections on the north and south sides of the tower running up the length of the building. not "just a box".

[lockmat]

The majority of the tallest NYC buildings are boxy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City

[cloud713]

The majority of the tallest NYC buildings are boxy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_New_York_City

 

true.. its just so much cheaper and more efficient to build a box and keep the floor plates the same shape all the way up the building. im sure the building will turn out much nicer than the rendering makes it out to me. that rendering does absolutely no justice to 1500 Louisiana or 1400 Smith and they are some of the nicest buildings in our skyline IMO.

[Jax]

I wish there was a way to make a post persistent at the top of the thread so I didn't have to keep skipping back 5 pages to find the rendering. I thought I'd put it here again to save other people the trouble. I really wish we could see this from more angles. What's that groove along the one side? I wonder if the side facing the bayou where all of the Houston skyline photos are taken from has a similar feature or if it's just flat. At least it's a rounded rectangle floor plate rather than a simple box.

 

[fatesdisastr]

I wish there was a way to make a post persistent at the top of the thread so I didn't have to keep skipping back 5 pages to find the rendering. I thought I'd put it here again to save other people the trouble. I really wish we could see this from more angles. What's that groove along the one side? I wonder if the side facing the bayou where all of the Houston skyline photos are taken from has a similar feature or if it's just flat. At least it's a rounded rectangle floor plate rather than a simple box.

 

Certainly would be nice to have an easily accessible picture of the latest renderings at the top of each thread. I come across that problem a lot.

[cloud713]

I wish there was a way to make a post persistent at the top of the thread so I didn't have to keep skipping back 5 pages to find the rendering. I thought I'd put it here again to save other people the trouble. I really wish we could see this from more angles. What's that groove along the one side? I wonder if the side facing the bayou where all of the Houston skyline photos are taken from has a similar feature or if it's just flat. At least it's a rounded rectangle floor plate rather than a simple box.

here is a rendering of the base from the south east, showing the same recessed grooves on the south face of the tower as well. maybe they will implement some lighting in the grooves?

Edited July 7, 2013 by cloud713

[Ross]

true.. its just so much cheaper and more efficient to build a box and keep the floor plates the same shape all the way up the building. im sure the building will turn out much nicer than the rendering makes it out to me. that rendering does absolutely no justice to 1500 Louisiana or 1400 Smith and they are some of the nicest buildings in our skyline IMO.

 

As I've said before, those cool looking buildings in the Middle East are a pain for tenants, as it's difficult and expensive to design usable floor plans in a building that's not squarish.

[RedScare]

here is a rendering of the base from the south east, showing the same recessed grooves on the south face of the tower as well. maybe they will implement some lighting in the grooves?

 

It doesn't look so much like a recessed groove as it does an offset. There may be an offset on the other side that matches this one.

 

The rendering in post #257 gives a better view of the offset. Look at the top of the building. It looks like one side goes inward, and the other overlaps it.

Edited July 8, 2013 by RedScare

[cloud713]

It doesn't look so much like a recessed groove as it does an offset. There may be an offset on the other side that matches this one.

 

The rendering in post #257 gives a better view of the offset. Look at the top of the building. It looks like one side goes inward, and the other overlaps it.

 

agreed, its not just a "groove" in the side of a flat/curved? wall. the whole middle section is recessed in on both north and south sides.