Living in the Urban Core: Redefining the Landscape of Houston’s Central Business District

Living in the Urban Core Redefining the Landscape of Houston’s Central Business District

Urban Lifestyle Vision Houston is unparalleled in leading the recovery from the Great Recession of 2008. For the twelve months ending September 2014, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Houston Metropolitan area gained 120,000 new jobs - an increase of 4.3 percent - well above the national 2.0 percent average gain. Nearly one fifth of the area’s workers are employed in the Central Business District. Known for several decades as the worldwide headquarters of the energy industry, Houston is also attracting a much larger share than the rest of the country of graduating young professionals in the health, legal and manufacturing sectors.

The perception of Houston has changed and with this evolution, the city’s urban living culture is looking attractive to a generation that grew up on Seinfeld and Sex and the City, as pointed out recently by Bob Harvey, President and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership.

The civic will borne of impatience with an ever lengthening commute provides a unique and timely confluence of factors and presents an opportunity to respond in a very significant way. Accordingly, Ziegler Cooper is working to create a live-work balance in the Central Business District and is dedicated to breathing new life into the urban landscape.

There is a certain energy and life downtown that is appealing to people who are looking for a total lifestyle, not just an employment center. Houston’s CBD now has a lifestyle environment that Ziegler Cooper calls a ‘20-minute bubble.’

We are fortunate to be working with a group of visionary developers who are making a profound investment in the urban fabric of the city. Together we are working to reshape the urban landscape towards an appealing urban lifestyle. Houston’s unique attraction for capital investors is largely due to its relationship with the energy sector and attributes such as the Port of Houston (consistently ranked first in the US in foreign water-borne tonnage and the second largest petrochemical complex in the world) and the Texas Medical Center (the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities), which combine to make Houston viable for long-term investment.

Changing the character of the heart of the city in a way that will add real value for the community requires adding a careful mixture of building uses as well as redeveloping existing office buildings to create safe, enjoyable and useful walkability.

San Francisco-based commercial office developer, Shorenstein, purchased 800 Bell in 2013 and asked Ziegler Cooper to design an extensive redevelopment of the property. A new sunken courtyard integrates the building with its surroundings at street level and results in a useful environment, more scaled to the pedestrian. Similarly, corporate clients engaged Ziegler Cooper to design a new downtown headquarters that incorporates an on-site newsstand, food court, bike storage and fitness center. These amenities echo the trend towards lifestyle-enhancing workplaces and also appeal to Houston’s famous foodie and bar culture, to entice a new cafe society from the Midtown, Montrose or Heights neighborhoods.

Residential developers including Marquette, Camden, Hines and Trammell Crow, have engaged Ziegler Cooper for multiple high-rise residential projects in the CBD. These new developments serve to correct damage done to the urban fabric by suburban sprawl.

“The whole idea of adding the Downtown Living initiative is to encourage the building out of the core of downtown. With that you’re going to get more walkability, and more people not having to depend on their cars. These new projects are changing the game.”

BOB EURY Executive Director, Downtown Management District Significant credit goes to planning efforts put forth by Downtown District’s Lonnie Hoogeboom and Bob Eury, who have masterfully established overlay district planning principles to enrich the streetscape and make Downtown Houston a nicer place to live. An initiative was created to incentivize developers - $15,000 per unit (up to 5,000 units) - but in order to qualify, developers were required to help beautify the streets with attractive trees, lighting and nicely paved pedestrian zones, and to hide parking garages.

Despite having no comprehensive development plan, but helped by the City of Houston’s and Downtown District’s Downtown Living Initiative and the lack of restrictions on zoning, Houston is working towards creating an urban environment that will be enduring, and is now poised to become a banner city globally for urban revitalization.

“The market is catering to people who desire a 24/7 live-work-play lifestyle... the demographic is driving the amenities, which have become more high-end.�

KEVIN BATCHELOR Vice President of Development, Hines

Outstanding Amenities Just a Five-Minute Walk Away Three major league sports teams - all within walking distance of the Central Business District - is a level of civic amenity that is rare in any major city.

Fewer cities still possess the number and quality of parks and other public amenities that Downtown Houston has, all within easy walking distance, or a short light rail or bus ride from home and work.

“You can walk 20 minutes in any direction and access three sports stadiums, world-class performing arts, including ballet, opera, symphony and theater. We have the largest employment center in the city and it’s all connected to the Buffalo Bayou hike and bike trails - truly an amazing list of amenities.”

SCOTT ZIEGLER, AIA Senior Principal, Ziegler Cooper Ziegler Cooper will be responsible for nearly half of the multifamily residential units that will deliver by the end of 2016. With four high-rise residential projects, and commercial office and redevelopment projects either in construction or on the boards, we are working to not only satisfy a high demand for urban high-rise living, but also working to enhance the urban fabric and public realm within Houston’s urban core. Many factors have coalesced to bring a long-term vision to reality.

Beginning with the development of Discovery Green, Houston’s urban revitalization has begun to take hold in a big way. A 12-acre greenspace at the apex of many of our downtown projects, Discovery Green has been dubbed by Downtown Houston as “Downtown’s new backyard.” The park includes two restaurants, a play area for children, a lake, two dog runs, an amphitheater and an event lawn. The high-rise residential, and amenity-rich corporate and commercial office building projects featured in the following pages complement and enhance the area’s enviable civic amenities.

Hines Market Square CLIENT Hines

PROGRAM Occupying one-half of a city block in the heart of Downtown Houston’s historic district, Hines Market Square offers residents easy access to an extensive selection of restaurants, bars and clubs nearby.

Overlooking Market Square, Houston’s first urban park, the 32-story tower offers residents the luxury and convenience of a five-star hotel. The new residential tower will be home to 274 residents and sits on top of an 8-story enclosed garage podium. Great care was taken with the design of the podium façade, concealing the garage, and creating a scale and feel at street level sympathetic to the building’s historic setting.

The ground level accommodates retail space, the residential lobby, and a pocket park, which can be used for outdoor dining. Perched above the podium on Level 9 sits an outdoor pool terrace which offers dramatic city views.

An impressive array of amenities surrounds the terrace, including a fitness center, a club room with a gourmet kitchen and a Wi-Fi lounge.

The corner of Travis and Preston streets has a welcoming porch for outdoor dining, which reinforces pedestrian activity at the street level. The top of the building is illuminated at night, emphasizing this new landmark building on the northern edge of Downtown Houston.

Block 98 CLIENT Confidential

PROGRAM Located on a tight 19,000-square-foot site overlooking Discovery Green, this 40-story luxury residential tower provides 309 apartment units and offers an urban life style that commands dramatic city views of the CBD, and provides the convenience and amenities of a five-star resort hotel. Residents of the tower will have a short five-minute walk to restaurants, park space, commercial office space, hotels, retail and entertainment.

The tower sits atop a podium garage. The 361,664-square-foot development focuses on young professionals and empty nesters seeking an urban lifestyle.

Clad in a crisp combination of glass, aluminum and stone, the slender tower offers an elegant and contemporary architectural expression in the CBD skyline. The tower is crowned with a sky club on the top floor and an amenity floor consisting of club facilities, gourmet kitchen, Wi-Fi lounge, fitness center, and aqua lounge with pool and terrace. The tower overlooks Discovery Green, the heart of Houston’s newest urban park.

“Young professionals want to live within minutes of their employment center, while empty-nesters are looking for a simpler lifestyle and to take advantage of the abundance of Houston’s downtown cultural amenities.”

SCOTT ZIEGLER, AIA Senior Principal and Principal-in-Charge of the Urban Residential Studio Ziegler Cooper Architects

Catalyst Houston CLIENT Marquette Companies

PROGRAM Located one block from Houston’s light rail system and Astros’ Minute Maid Park, this 38-story, 361-unit apartment tower encompasses a full city block on the northeast side of the CBD. Catalyst includes over 6,800 square feet of retail and restaurant space at the building’s base, with a 552-space private parking garage separating retail and residential units. The property comprises high-rise and low-rise apartments with the low-rise units forming an active streetscape, concealing the garage. Bike storage and maintenance areas are provided on Level 2 for residents who prefer a bicycle over a car.

The exterior architecture is clad with a modern combination of glass, brick, stone and metal accents. Floor-to-ceiling windows, and glass balconies preserve priceless views of Houston and the surrounding areas. A wellappointed porte-cochère incorporates dramatic water features and lighting to welcome residents and guests to the main lobby, which is complete with concierge services. Overnight guests can be accommodated in the Guest Suite. Amenities include an indoor fitness and yoga studio with outdoor “Yoga Fusion Lawn” on Level 9. A large resort-style pool boasts soaking ledges, fountains, private cabanas and a covered trellis outdoor kitchen, which features a full kitchen, fireplace and gas grill. The game lawn includes a beach volleyball court and fire pit. Pet-friendly amenities include a dog park. The Sky Club has spectacular views of Downtown Houston. An exclusive Ballpark Club room on Level 28 includes an exterior terrace for residents living on the Penthouse and Summit levels to enjoy watching the Astros baseball game.

“Houston is experiencing urbanism for the first time. When you look anywhere in the United States, Downtown Houston is one of the best opportunities that exists today.�

DARREN SLONIGER President, Marquette Cos.

“Whether speaking of corporate facilities, commercial offices, or urban residential buildings - research shows that walkability is increased when buildings are high density and rich in amenities and walkability means better financial performance.�

SCOTT ZIEGLER, AIA Senior Principal, Ziegler Cooper

Camden Conte CLIENT Camden Living

PROGRAM Located one block from Houston’s Toyota Center at the heart of the Central Business District and right next to Root Square Park, Camden Conte is a 20-story high-rise residential tower.

Camden Living asked Ziegler Cooper to master plan and design two buildings on two city blocks. This first building of the development provides 263 apartment units with a total net rentable area of 282,000 square feet.

The 20-story tower is sited on the north end of the block in an east-west orientation. This creates a more energy-efficient exposure of the façades and maximizes the views to downtown and Root Square Park. It also minimizes shadows of the tower onto the 20,000-square-foot amenity deck. The seven-story garage podium is wrapped on three sides with apartment units, creating a more pedestrian streetscape which is further enhanced by doubleheight lobby and restaurant spaces with outdoor seating facing the park.

The building provides residents with a wide array of amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness center, club room, WiFi lounge, private dining, morning room, and a skylounge on Level 20 with unrivaled skyline views.

“The young people coming to Houston - the Millennials - want an urban lifestyle, they want culture and action, and the city has a lot of it.�

RICHARD CAMPO Chairman, Board of Trust Managers & Chief Executive Officer, Camden Living

800 Bell CLIENT Shorenstein Company, LLC

PROGRAM Ziegler Cooper won an invitation-only competition for the extensive renovation of the Humble Oil Headquarters building, which includes a redevelopment of more than 1.3 million square feet. The 44-level structure, completed in 1962 and located in the southernmost portion of Houston’s Skyline District at Milam and Bell Streets, was once the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. When the original tenant – now ExxonMobil – vacates in the second quarter of 2015, a complete transformation of the building will begin, bringing it up to compete with other Class A+ properties in Downtown Houston.

Ziegler Cooper’s winning design will include deepening the current lease depths to 42 feet to add over 100,000 square feet of new rentable area, bringing the building gross square footage to 1.3 million square feet.

In addition, the owner plans to redevelop the grand plaza along Bell Street, tie in the downtown tunnel system, renovate the lobby, re-clad the building in high-performance glazing to meet LEED Gold standards and create an illuminated, iconic crown that will mark 800 Bell as a striking new addition the Houston skyline.

Block 256 CLIENT Confidential

PROGRAM Situated on a full city block of Main Street, in the heart of the Central Business District, Block 256 is a 450,500-square-foot corporate office facility with a specific design solution for a unique client.

Ziegler Cooper designed the base building core and shell for our confidential client. The building incorporates a mix of corporate offices, foundation offices, commercial space, podium parking, a roof garden atop the podium, a 4,000-square-foot fitness facility complete with indoor basketball court and a 400-occupant multi-use meeting space. By locating the meeting space and fitness facility above the parking, the space opens directly onto the rooftop terrace.

A generous urban plaza sits in front of the 23-story tower’s main lobby, with retail at street level and direct access to Houston’s light rail system along Main Street. The placement of retail on Main Street gestures to the historical importance of the building’s location and reflects an investment in community. The building offers a mutually beneficial relationship to surrounding office, retail and hotel buildings. Tying the building in to the existing tunnel system provides further opportunity to enhance downtown shopping.

By working with our team of consultants early in the design process, we were able to deliver a highly-efficient project in keeping with the industrypreferred 25,000-square-foot floor plate. The decision to utilize the maximum capacity of one bank of eight elevators drove the height of the building and enabled the incorporation of the public plaza.

Set apart from its surroundings by use of elegant curved glass, the gentle bow of the façade is given further prominence by glass fins. Although the office sits atop the garage podium, the building has the appearance of a uniform glass tower descending to ground level. A covered balcony on penthouse Level 23 highlights a foundation office.

Team SCOTT ZIEGLER

AIA

Principal-in-Charge of the Urban Residential Studio Senior Principal, Ziegler Cooper 713.374.0008 | sziegler@zieglercooper.com A graduate of Rice University with a Master’s degree in architecture and a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Trinity University, Founding Principal Scott Ziegler is a thought leader on the subject of urbanism, as well as a frequent guest speaker at Rice University, Urban Land Institute, Texas Society of Architects and Multifamily Executive Conferences.

As Principal-in-Charge of the Urban Residential Studio, Scott plays an active role in shaping the urban landscape through his published writings in professional journals on the subjects of sustainable urban growth strategies and high-density mixed-use developments. Scott’s urban residential experience is tempered by industry leaders including Hines, Gables Residential Trust, Marquette Companies, General Investment and Development, The Hanover Companies, Camden REIT, Trammell Crow Residential, Dinerstein Companies and Forest City for the design of low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise developments.

Scott’s design experience reflects his belief that beautiful architecture enriches people’s lives and expresses the spirit of our time through art, craft and technology.

KURT HULL

AIA LEED AP

Principal-in-Charge of the Commercial Architecture Studio Senior Principal, Ziegler Cooper 713.374.0007 | khull@zieglercooper.com In his role as the Principal-in-Charge of the Commercial Architecture Studio, Kurt has directed over 10 million square feet of commercial, corporate and redevelopment architecture. Corporate clients and developers such as Warmack Interests, Hines, Trammell Crow, Transwestern, M&M Properties, SABIC, CGG and CB&I seek out his leadership and knowledge of their projects to ensure high quality design, on time and within budget.

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