PRESS RELEASES
Hines Announces Plans for Premier Office Tower in Downtown Houston's Historic District
MainPlace Slated to Receive LEED Silver Pre-certification
8/22/2007
(HOUSTON) – The Houston office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today plans to develop MainPlace, a new 46-story, one million-square-foot office tower in downtown Houston at 811 Main Street. Construction activities by the general contractor, D.E. Harvey Builders, will commence immediately with the first tenants occupying the building in late 2010. The project will be a classic urban infill development, replacing one of the most blighted blocks in downtown with a signature high-rise office building that will spur redevelopment for blocks around and re-define the epicenter of downtown.
"Designingand building structures that are more efficient and self-sustaining makegood business senseand will help the sustainability of our environment," said Mayor Bill White. "It's good to see Hines, with its strong Houston roots, setting the paceby building the firstLEED-Silverskyscraper in our downtown district."
Jon Pickard, AIA, of Pickard Chilton, the building’s architect, notes, “Our design for MainPlace acknowledges the contemporary tradition of the Houston skyscraper while keeping with the historical tradition of Main Street’s classic architecture.”
MainPlace will be situated on Main Street on the block bordered by Fannin, Rusk and Walker streets, across from the 1929 Gulf Building (now the JPMorgan Chase building). MainPlace tenants will enjoy easy access to Houston’s mass transit system, including Metro’s light rail system on Main Street, and being located within four blocks of every major downtown attraction.
MainPlace will also continue Hines’ ongoing commitment to the environment and leadership in sustainable (or “green”) building design by being pre-certified at the silver level by the U.S. Green Building Council. In fact, Hines will develop the project through its Hines CalPERS Green (HCG) fund, a new fund that focuses exclusively on developing sustainable office buildings throughout the United States certifiable through the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core and Shell (LEED-CS) program.
Designed by the nationally recognized architectural firm of Pickard Chilton, MainPlace will be clad in horizontal sunshades of glass and aluminum that will wrap around the building’s curved north and south façades. The west façade will be shaded from the low-glancing evening sunlight by vertical glass fins, which will soar 630 feet from Main Street’s sidewalk level to the crown of the tower. A signature feature of the tower will be a dramatic 39th floor sky garden recessed into the building’s form that reveals planted terraces and a five-story crystalline atrium. The sky garden will provide a meeting place during the day and define the tower on the night skyline with its glow.
A grand lobby with atrium located directly off of Main Street will offer a connection to Houston’s underground pedestrian tunnel system, linking MainPlace to office buildings, hotels and retail centers.
MainPlace will contain floor-to-ceiling windows that will maximize natural light in tenant spaces, as well as offering panoramic views of downtown to the south and west, and uninterrupted views to the east. Notched corners in the buildings structure will allow for eight corner offices per floor, as well as an abundance of daylight into interior corridors. Eighteen high-speed elevators will serve the office floors over three zones. An additional three elevators will service the nine-level parking garage, which will contain a total of 1,130 parking spaces.
“We think MainPlace’s sustainable features, superior location and unique design will make it a highly sought-after address in downtown,” said Hines Vice President John Mooz. “Since One Shell Plaza, Hines’ first downtown Houston office tower developed nearly 40 years ago, we have made significant investments in architecture that have transformed the city’s skyline while keeping in mind our commitment to green development. MainPlace will continue that tradition, and will add to our firm’s 50-year legacy of development in the city.”
Schematic design development will conclude in January 2008. Site preparation is underway, a ceremonial groundbreaking is slated for April 22, 2008 (Earth Day), and the grand opening is slated for Earth Day 2011, although some tenant occupancy will commence in late 2010.
About Pickard Chilton
Pickard Chilton is noted for its expertise in the design of corporate and professional office buildings. Recently completed projects include: 1180 Peachtree, a 50-story Hines development in Atlanta; and the CalPERS Headquarters Complex in Sacramento. The firm maintains a global practice and is currently designing corporate headquarters and skyscrapers in Houston, Montreal, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. Prior to founding Pickard Chilton, Jon Pickard was Senior Associate with Cesar Pelli & Associates, and collaborated with Mr. Pelli on landmark projects including the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
About HCG
In September 2006, Hines formed Hines CalPERS Green (HCG) development fund. It is capitalized with more than $275 million of committed equity, having the ability to invest over $1 billion.
About CalPERS
CalPERS is the nation’s largest public pension fund with assets totaling $239 billion, of which $20 billion is invested in real estate. The System provides retirement and health benefits to more than one million state and public employees and their families. For further information on CalPERS, visit the System’s Web site at www.calpers.ca.gov.
About Hines
In downtown Houston, Hines has developed 23 projects totaling approximately 17 million square feet. This new development will represent the latest addition to the skyline since Hines’ 717 Texas building was completed in 2003.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The Hines portfolio of projects underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes more than 950 properties representing approximately 380 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical, retail and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in 67 U.S. cities and 15 foreign countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $16 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information. |