Hoar Construction Completes New Class-A Office Tower in Houston’s Westchase District

HOUSTON, Texas — The Westchase district on Houston, Texas” West side is getting ready to welcome a new addition. Granite Briarpark Green, the 12-story, 300,000-square-foot Class-A office tower developed by Granite Properties and built by Hoar Construction reached substantial completion Sept. 23. PGAL provided architecture services.

The building features a lavish 2-story entry lobby referred to as the “corporate living area.” Amenities include a fitness center, food service facilities, a shared conference area and on-site recycling. The building exterior has a recessed façade with a graduated, vertical linear design, creating a highly visible and dramatic entry. A 6-story, 361,000-square-foot parking facility for over 1,000 cars will exclusively serve Granite Briarpark Green tenants; the garage maintains the high-end feel of the complex with upgraded exterior finishes and details.

Hoar worked closely with Granite Properties and PGAL during design and construction. Hoar relied heavily on Building Information Modeling and Lean delivery principles for more efficient delivery and to optimize the project schedule. For example, Hoar devised an efficient pre-fabrication process for constructing the building skin and fenestration. Prefabricated wall units with pre-punched windows were produced offsite and delivered within days of the scheduled installation. Once onsite, the units were fastened into the window opening within a matter of minutes. This process shaved weeks off the installation schedule and eliminated unnecessary packaging and waste onsite. Early use of BIM uncovered an inconsistency in air ducts in a challenging area of the building. The team resolved the issue prior to construction and Granite was able to maintain the desired ceiling height in the fitness center.

“From the outset, we envisioned Granite Briarpark Green would be the benchmark for new Class-A office space in the Westchase submarket,” said Aaron Bidne, Granite Properties development manager. “We were obviously working within budget constraints, but compromising on qualitative aspects of the building was never an option. The level of finishes and amenities in Granite Briarpark Green is what will set it apart. Hoar knew the outcome we wanted and made sure our goals remained intact during design and construction. Something like ceiling height in the gym might seem innocuous, but no detail is too small.”

Granite Briarpark Green is slated for LEED Gold certification from the USGBC. A notable aspect of the building’s sustainability is energy performance, optimized to be 21 percent above current construction standards. Hoar enforced robust recycling onsite and was able to recycle more than 90 percent of waste generated during construction.