The Houston office of Hines recently remodeled their own lease space in the iconic Williams Tower. The space was awarded Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Commercial Interiors Rating System.
Williams Tower in Houston.
Hines has occupied levels 49 and 50 (among other floors) in Williams Tower for more than 30 years. These two floors, originally designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, had never undergone any major modifications. Hines selected Houston-based Kirksey Architecture to design the renovation, chiefly because their vision included adaptive reuse of existing materials. Another major design component was the creation of a sweeping, new two-story lobby with a privileged view of downtown Houston in which 12 of Hines’ 17 downtown projects are visible.
During the remodel, 42 percent of materials and 62 percent of the furniture used for the project were salvaged. Many materials were repurposed, including the marble that serves as countertops in each of the four new public restrooms. In excess of 750 cubic yards of construction waste material, or 96 percent, was diverted from landfill and recycled. The majority of the existing English Oak panels throughout the space were reused, refreshed and slightly modified to allow additional natural light into the floors.
Green features implemented during the project include the installation of efficient water fixtures, which reduce potable water usage by 40 percent, or more than 75,000 gallons per year. Also, lighting-power density was reduced by 39 percent over current code requirements and ENERGY STAR-rated appliances were used to produce a reduction in rated power that will lower CO2 emissions as much as taking five cars off the road.
Hines’ 49th floor lobby.
“We are tremendously proud of this achievement, and we recognize the importance of leading by example and demonstrating our commitment to the environment,�? said Hines Senior Vice President, Corporate Operations Services, Ilene Allen. “Achieving LEED-CI Platinum is the result of more than 18 months of preparing, planning, and execution by our architects, contractors and employees.
“Reflecting our firm’s guiding principles—which state that we will strive to be the industry leader in sustainability—this new certification of our corporate headquarters is symbolic of the commitment we have to deliver the highest quality to tenants, owners and investors,�? added Hines Global Sustainability Officer, Gary Holtzer.
Williams Tower is a 1.5 million-square-foot, 64-story office building that was developed by Hines in 1982 and has been managed by Hines since. Designed by Philip Johnson/John Burgee, the tower’s familiar silhouette on the Houston sky recalls the art deco style. Clad in silver gray reflective glass and anodized aluminum, the sleek tower is accented by columns of bay windows of non-reflective glass and podium setbacks on two lower floors and four higher levels. Williams Tower is leased to a number of companies, including: Citi, Hines, HOK, Rowan Companies, Van Kampen Investments, Wachovia, and Williams, among others.
Photos courtesy of Hines