Chevron Skyscraper Proposal At 1600 Louisiana St.

[Urbannizer]

Larger rendering:

 

Edited July 3, 2013 by Urbannizer

[ClutchCity]

What the hell is on top of the parking garage?

 

Edit: Looks like a fish tank with people in it

Edited July 3, 2013 by ClutchCity

[nativehoustonion]

It is a outdoor patio for smokers!  LOL!

[VelvetJ]

I'm excited about this, but while the design doesn't hurt my feelings, I am still waiting on that spectacularly exciting design that seems to elude Houston. This is not bad nonetheless.

[nativehoustonion]

It is only a rendering.  Once completed I believe it will appear very sleek.  It seems it may be almost 800 feet high.  It is also bringing more jobs to Houston.  I think Hines is next at 609 Main St.  I have heard that a very tall skyscraper will go up by Minute Maid Park because it is out of HOU airport flight pattern.  With the tax abatements a lot of buildings have already been announced.  I believe a little boom is coming for downtown.  I wonder what Trump is up to?  

[HoustonBoy]

Oh man, I hadn't even thought about trump! Imagine if he brings a hotel skyscraper. That'd be sick.

[Houston19514]

1.7 million sqft would make it the largest office building in Houston if that's only including rentable office space (and not parking garage, common space, etc)

 

There is zero reason to think that number would be just rentable office space.  That is almost certainly the total square footage.

 

JP Morgan Chase Tower has 1.98 million square feet.

 

Wells Fargo Plaza is over 1.8 million

Edited July 3, 2013 by Houston19514

[nativehoustonion]

The Trump Tower in Chicago is beautiful.

 

[Urbannizer]

http://swamplot.com/chevron%E2%80%99s-new-50-story-tower-on-site-of-downtown-y-bigger-boxier-just-as-blue/2013-07-03/

Edited July 3, 2013 by Urbannizer

['Stonian]

There is zero reason to think that number would be just rentable office space.  That is almost certainly the total square footage.

 

JP Morgan Chase Tower has 1.98 million square feet.

 

Wells Fargo Plaza is over 1.8 million

 

My bad, that's why I inserted the disclaimer - I just knew there was no building in Houston above 2 million sqft and just a few over 1.5 million so figured this would be one of the largest ever.

 

Thanks for correcting me.., absolutely no ego here - just enjoying Houston's renaissance!

[lockmat]

It looks better up close and the bottom levels are smashing

[lockmat]

It is only a rendering. Once completed I believe it will appear very sleek. It seems it may be almost 800 feet high. It is also bringing more jobs to Houston. I think Hines is next at 609 Main St. I have heard that a very tall skyscraper will go up by Minute Maid Park because it is out of HOU airport flight pattern. With the tax abatements a lot of buildings have already been announced. I believe a little boom is coming for downtown. I wonder what Trump is up to?

Cool, did you hear what kind I tower and when?

[infinite_jim]

Anyone else notice how it's shape emulates 1600 Smith by orientating it's mass with it (not to mention incorporating a similar spine-like window extrusion on the north facade). They even preserved some of the views of the KBR-Kellog tower by tucking most of the tower mass into the corner at Smith and Pease. This is certainly no "speed stick" design except in the application of a similar cladding scheme. I'm impressed most of all by it's potential height.

Edited July 3, 2013 by infinite_jim

[Houston?]

It is only a rendering.  Once completed I believe it will appear very sleek.  It seems it may be almost 800 feet high.  It is also bringing more jobs to Houston.  I think Hines is next at 609 Main St.  I have heard that a very tall skyscraper will go up by Minute Maid Park because it is out of HOU airport flight pattern.  With the tax abatements a lot of buildings have already been announced.  I believe a little boom is coming for downtown.  I wonder what Trump is up to?  

 

Source?

[King Owl]

wait -- is that just a big huge box?  Is there ANYTHING interesting about this building, aside from the bottom?  What an architectural failure if it's just a box.  Anybody seen the other side?  Is that the interesting side, by chance?

[editor]

Going to have to change the name since it no longer rumored ..lol

 

Done.

[Jax]

While I'm not crazy about what I've seen of it so far, it'll make a nice impact on the skyline from Midtown and parts of Montrose which is a good thing. I'm looking forward to seeing more renderings from different angles.

[por favor gracias]

It should also have a nice impact coming in from the Gulf Freeway.

[King Owl]

I wonder how the design meeting went at HOK...

 

9am, Main conference room

VP of design of HOK: "I'll bet you're curious why I've gathered you all here today for this meeting.  Well, Chevron has decided to build the largest sq footage building in downtown Houston in the past 30 years.  This will be a historic building that will make its mark on the fabulous Houston skyline.  After much thought, I'm here to present you with the design.

heads to unveil the rendering in the front of the room

Here it is!  After much thought, I've incorporated the exact same glass from the other two Chevron buildings, and we've fashioned it in a perfectly symmetrical BOX. One of our finest designs yet!"

I'll put the bill in the mail to Chevron tomorrow.  Total man hours worked from the HOK side: 1.5."

[Fortune]

Exciting to see a rendering of this building. It will be great to see it rise.

[lockmat]

I wonder how the design meeting went at HOK...

9am, Main conference room

VP of design of HOK: "I'll bet you're curious why I've gathered you all here today for this meeting. Well, Chevron has decided to build the largest sq footage building in downtown Houston in the past 30 years. This will be a historic building that will make its mark on the fabulous Houston skyline. After much thought, I'm here to present you with the design.

heads to unveil the rendering in the front of the room

Here it is! After much thought, I've incorporated the exact same glass from the other two Chevron buildings, and we've fashioned it in a perfectly symmetrical BOX. One of our finest designs yet!"

I'll put the bill in the mail to Chevron tomorrow. Total man hours worked from the HOK side: 1.5."

It's as if firms give Houston their leftover designs.

For a simple building, however, it does seem very nice.

[cloud713]

wait -- is that just a big huge box?  Is there ANYTHING interesting about this building, aside from the bottom?  What an architectural failure if it's just a box.  Anybody seen the other side?  Is that the interesting side, by chance?

 

while i admit i wasnt blown away by the design (but its finally official!!!), look at the rendering and tell me it does 1500 Louisiana or 1400 Smith Street any justice. those buildings look mediocre in that rendering too but they look great in person. i think this tower has potential to turn out much better than what this rendering shows. there also appears to be a recessed section in the tower on the right side (and probably a matching recessed side on the left). i guess we will find out more about the building as more renderings become available, but i wouldnt write it off just yet..

[brijonmang]

while i admit i wasnt blown away by the design (but its finally official!!!), look at the rendering and tell me it does 1500 Louisiana or 1400 Smith Street any justice. those buildings look mediocre in that rendering too but they look great in person. i think this tower has potential to turn out much better than what this rendering shows. there also appears to be a recessed section in the tower on the right side (and probably a matching recessed side on the left). i guess we will find out more about the building as more renderings become available, but i wouldnt write it off just yet..

 

This is how I feel about it with that rendering as well.  It looks very squatty from this angle despite the fact it's probably around 750'.  It is somewhat underwhelming but the existing buildings look very dull compared to reality.  The lower pedestrian levels do look very cool and modern though.  I look forward to seeing more.

[Hugh Stone]

The spot the tower is going to be built in is surrounded by other tall, impressive towers. I think in this case height is the only factor that would make this building really stand out and command it's own presence (at least at a distance). If instead of this tower, Chevron were going to build some revolutionary design, but it wasn't any taller than the buildings that surround it, it would be sort of a waste of a good design. In this case, because of the height, a glass box will work just fine and will only make the Houston downtown skyline more beautiful.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Hugh Stone

[jt16]

So this thing isn't even going to break ground for almost another yeat at least. What's the usual timeline for a building this big to go from surface lot removal to occupancy? 2 years?

For what it's worth it looked like they had fencing on site today on my commute home

[King Owl]

well, if this is "Chevron's answer" to the ExxonMobil campus, then I'd tell them they've missed the mark.  They had a chance to do something really cool with this building that would get people talking, but they squandered it.

[Mister X]

80 postings in less than 12 hours on a single thread at HAIF is talking about it. Get over it already King Owl, we heard you, the first 10 times. The building is cool.  Most people are going to like it.  Chevron can't please everyone, especially the google crowd. They have to keep this modest.  People would be whining all over the world if Chevron built something excessive. Remember they are an evil OIL company and they get enough negative press for excessive spending and keeping gas at $4 per gallon. Just be happy they are going higher than the surrounding buildings and for the impact it will make downtown. Some cities would sacrifice a virgin for this tower. 

 

Don't worry, it will get enough attention.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Mister X

[King Owl]

Mister X - this is the same board that talked for pages upon pages regarding a McDonald's on post oak. So your bar is set too low there.

I'll stop going on and on about it, but I view this as a disappointment.

[lockmat]

80 postings in less than 12 hours on a single thread at HAIF is talking about it. Get over it already King Owl, we heard you, the first 10 times. The building is cool. Most people are going to like it. Chevron can't please everyone, especially the google crowd. They have to keep this modest. People would be whining all over the world if Chevron built something excessive. Remember they are an evil OIL company and they get enough negative press for excessive spending and keeping gas at $4 per gallon. Just be happy they are going higher than the surrounding buildings and for the impact it will make downtown. Some cities would sacrifice a virgin for this tower.

Don't worry, it will get enough attention.

Simmer down, simmer down.

I think they easily could have upgraded the look without receiving excessive criticism. 99% of people in the US will never even know they're building this. A nicer tower would not have received national attention. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Mister X]

Simmer down, simmer down.

I think they easily could have upgraded the look without receiving excessive criticism. 99% of people in the US will never even know they're building this. A nicer tower would not have received national attention. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

Maybe, but not everyone (outside HAIFville) has problems with glass boxes. Some people actually like them. I've always been a fan of streamlined, non-oramented, simple, clean design. It's done a lot in Houston for sure, and thats fine by me. We do it well. 

 

Obviously I'm not alone in this opinion because the downtown Houston skyline has been impressing the world for a very long time now. This building won't hurt Houston at all.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Mister X