Texas' Tallest Building Goes Green

The tallest building in Texas is now a green building.

Hines put out a news release this week stating that its JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston is now LEED Gold certified.

If you haven't been to the JPMorgan Chase Tower, it's a nice building.  Visually, it's not all that compelling, but it does have a free observation level, which is becoming more and more rare these days.

Read the news release after the photograph from Houston Architecture:

JPMORGAN CHASE TOWER AWARDED LEED^® GOLD

Tallest Building in Texas Goes Green

(HOUSTON) – The Houston office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that JPMorgan Chase Tower has received Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED^® for Existing Buildings Rating System.

Chase Tower is a 1.6 million-square-foot, 75-story office building that was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and was developed by Hines in 1982.  It remains the tallest building in Texas.

With a current ENERGY STAR rating of 91, the building is 46 percent more energy efficient and annually saves $1.48 per square foot in energy costs when compared to the national average office building.  This translates into estimated greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 3,670 cars from the road.

Green features and programs include: reduction of indoor potable water use through low-flow fixtures; reclamation of non-potable water for irrigation; the use of energy efficient lighting with reduced mercury content; environmentally sensitive cleaning products; a comprehensive recycling and waste diversion program; green build-out guidelines for tenants; and the implementation of a comprehensive and ongoing retro-commissioning program, among other things.

Hines Senior Vice President John Mooz said, “JPMorgan Chase Tower represents Hines’ ninth LEED certification in Houston.  We are hearing a clear message from major tenants that LEED is a significant decision point in leasing.”

Hines worked closely with Kirksey’s EcoServices group, which played an instrumental role in managing the administrative aspects of the LEED certification process.

JPMorgan Chase Tower is 92 percent leased to a number of world-class companies, including: Andrews Kurth LLP; Cooper Industries; JPMorgan Chase & Co; LINN Energy; Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP; Morgan Stanley; Sanders Morris Harris Group; and Winstead PC, among others.  The property is owned by Texas Tower Limited and managed and leased by Hines.

 Globally Hines is responsible for 145 projects, representing more than 89 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED rating systems.  Hines was a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council, and is active in the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France.

In 2009 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the second time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines has 138 buildings, representing approximately 77 million square feet that have earned the ENERGY STAR label.  Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have been designated as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.

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 1,111 properties representing more than 449 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.  Hines has offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries and controls assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion.  Visit www.hines.com for more information.  To learn more about sustainability at Hines, visit www.hines.com/sustainability.

Slice of Life: Three Starbucks on Four Corners

Take a close look at this photograph from Vancouver, British Columbia and you'll see something interesting.  This is one of the places where there is a Starbucks on the corner opposite another Starbucks.  People who live in the neighborhood say that one of the cafes is a "biker" cafe and the other is for everyone else.  I don't know if "biker" is Canadian for "cyclist" or if they mean rough-and-tumble motorcycle madmen enjoy their lattes at one of these.  The locals also tell me that a third Starbucks is planned for the same intersection and should be open in a few months.

For more on buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the rest of the Pacific Northwest, visit our Pacific Northwest Architecture web site.

Skyline: Minneapolis, Minnesota

The skyline of Minneapolis rises behind one of the thousands of lake that make up the sponge-like topography of Minnesota.  Note the sign warning people not to walk on the ice.  With the kind of weather that Minneapolis typically has, people have learned to embrace outdoor sports in even the most frigid conditions.