Houston Tower Earns LEED Platinum Pre-Certification

Texas Tower. Rendering courtesy of Hines

Texas Tower, a 47-story office high-rise Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge are building in downtown Houston, has earned the coveted LEED Platinum pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The non-profit awarded the rating under its LEED v4 for Core & Shell Rating System, recognizing the 1 million-square foot skyscraper’s intense commitment to sustainability.

Slated to open in late 2021, Texas Tower is already 33 percent leased. Law firm Vinson & Elkins will anchor the new building along with Hines, which will relocate its global headquarters to the property. The Pelli Clarke Pelli-designed project is located at 845 Texas Ave. on the former site of the Houston Chronicle newspaper.

Green features

The property will incorporate a wide array of green features designed to optimize energy efficiency, reduce water use, and improve indoor air quality while providing access to fresh air and natural light for the building’s occupants. Texas Tower will have a rainwater harvesting and condensate recovery system to produce all the irrigation required for the landscaping.

High efficiency chillers, low-flow water fixtures to substantially curb potable water use, sophisticated lighting systems with Building Management and Control System monitoring and a series of rooftop terraces will add to the building’s green credentials.

“Texas Tower is a high-performance building focused on office space that maximizes human potential,” commented Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz in a prepared statement.

The partners broke ground on the skyscraper in July 2018. This past March, the building received nearly 14,000 cubic yards of concrete during a 20-hour foundation pour.