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Architects: Kendall/Heaton Associates, Pelli Clarke & Partners
- Area: 1815000 ft²
- Year: 2022
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Photographs:Jason O’Rear
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Lead Architects: Edward Dionne, AIA
Text description provided by the architects. Texas Tower will catalyze a reinvigorated Downtown Houston neighborhood through connections to the Arts District, Market Square, and the Buffalo Bayou. This forty-seven-story tower is designed specifically with the tenant experience in mind to create an energizing and creative environment for a live, work, play lifestyle in the heart of downtown.
The 1.2-million-square-foot tower was focused on two primary goals. The first was to maximize opportunities to connect the tenants to outdoor space, and the second was to reinvent the ground floor lobby experience as a social center and an enriching extension of the workspace.
Texas Tower is positioned diagonally on its site to achieve its goals, creating a powerful and distinct civic presence on the Houston skyline. This orientation not only sets a welcoming gesture to the building’s surrounding neighborhood but also maximizes tenant outdoor spaces with three large, lush rooftop gardens that provide open areas to socialize while creating direct connections from the ground floor lobby to retail and amenity spaces that foster a vibrant extension of the workspace. It also positions the lobby as a central hub of activity that is completely enveloped by numerous retail and social amenities for both the tenants and the adjacent community.
The tower’s striking silhouette was designed completely from the inside out. A highly efficient rectangular floor plate was carefully enhanced with large projecting bays. These elements maximize the ability for tenants to create a variety of dramatic interior layouts, be it arrivals, social hubs, or a sense of community through vertical connectivity, all without inhibiting the need for future updates to the interior layout. Outdoor terraces are included in these projecting bays, bringing access to a natural environment even on the upper levels of the tower, offering an uplifting extension of the workplace and an organic gathering space.
Leading with the highest sustainability and wellness measures, Texas Tower has met LEED Platinum, WiredScore, and WELL Building Standards. Built to the highest standards developed in Houston, Texas Tower creates a supportive environment for the health and wellbeing of tenants while contributing to a more sustainable future.
