Development of Downtown's Newest Iconic Landmark Underway
(HOUSTON) – The Houston office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today its construction schedule for 609 Main at Texas, the 47-story, 1,050,000-square-foot office tower under development at the corner of Main and Texas streets in Downtown Houston on the Main Street rail line. Site preparation, including the deconstruction of an existing abandoned structure, will begin the first week in November.
Excavation and foundation activities will occur in March 2014, and after 36 months of construction, the building will be ready for occupancy.
609 Main at Texas is being developed by the Hines CalPERS Green (HCG) development fund, a partnership that focuses exclusively on developing sustainable office buildings throughout the United States certifiable through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core & Shell (LEED®-CS) program.
This is the same partnership that developed BG Group Place, an extremely successful office building also on Main Street.
609 Main at Texas is pre-registered LEED, and is expected to attain Gold or Platinum certification upon completion.
Hines President Jeff Hines said, “609 Main at Texas is a strategic follow-on to our success with BG Group Place.
We are thrilled to start construction on our second major office tower on Main Street, especially with our partner, CalPERS.
We saw the trend coming several years ago when we purchased two key blocks of land on Main Street, and now our strategy has been confirmed with the start of this iconic new landmark.”
“We have already had significant leasing interest among all the sectors that fuel CBD development,” said Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz.
“This project will be a true ‘next-generation’ office building, utilizing best practices we’ve learned from our previous developments in Houston and around the world.
While 609 Main at Texas is designed to house multiple firms, there is obviously a significant and prestigious opportunity for an anchor tenant, including options for large trading floors and outdoor space.”
Designed by Pickard Chilton, 609 Main at Texas’ north and south facades will extend skyward, culminating in a dramatic diagonal crown, creating a new, highly visible Downtown landmark.
The narrower east and west facades will be slightly recessed, and the subtly faceted exterior façade will be clad in floor-to-ceiling glass with brushed-stainless-steel accents.
Vertical blades will be incorporated in the east and west facades, enhancing the tower’s silhouette and offering solar shading.
Computer-controlled LED illumination within the east and west recesses, and the tower’s sloped crown will accentuate 609 Main’s presence on the nighttime skyline.
Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton noted, “Our design for 609 Main at Texas is evocative of BG Group Place – it acknowledges and advances the contemporary tradition of the Houston skyscraper while respecting the historical vocabulary of Main Street’s classic architecture.
The tower will continuously animate the Central Business District with its shifting palette of light.”
Amenities at the vertically integrated campus will include: a “hotel-style” lobby with a café and spaces for networking; a 7,000-square-foot high-performance fitness center; an 8,000-square-foot conference center; full-height windows allowing for an abundance of natural light throughout the building; a sophisticated underfloor HVAC system; and private roof gardens in select tenant spaces.
Floor plates will comprise 27,500 square feet, and parking for 1,500 cars will be provided in an internal 13-level garage (11 above-grade and two below-grade floors).
Situated on one of the most centrally located blocks in Houston’s CBD, 609 Main at Texas tenants will enjoy a variety of transportation options – connectivity to Houston’s tunnel system, and access to light rail, Park & Ride and mass transit.
In addition, the Main Street area provides a myriad of restaurants and entertainment venues, as well as a burgeoning residential population.
CalPERS is the nation’s largest public pension fund with assets totaling $277 billion, of which $27.1 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, please visit the System’s Web site at www.calpers.ca.gov.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,283 properties representing more than 516 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.
Currently, Hines manages 378 properties totaling 151.9 million square feet, which includes 84.3 million square feet for third parties.
With offices in 111 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $25.2 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, BREEAM, Haute Qualité Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems.
Visit www.hines.com for more information.
609 Main at Texas