No tenants, no problem: Houston’s newest speculative office

Aug. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Confidence in Houston’s commercial real estate market is returning, even in the spec office sector. Granite Properties tapped Hoar Construction (http://www.hoarllc.com) in 2011 to begin talks on a new speculative office building in Houston’s booming Westchase district. The 12-story Class A tower, called Briarpark Green, broke ground April 9, 2012 and will be 300,000 SF. Hoar Construction is the general contractor and PGAL is the architect. Construction is expected to be complete by September 2013.

Granite is funding the entire project though no tenants have been signed to date. Briarpark Green will be located at 3151 Briarpark, with convenient access to the Sam Houston Tollway and the Westpark Tollway, the major north/south and east/west arteries. Westchase’s high occupany rate combined with lingering favorable construction pricing prompted Granite to begin construction now. Granite feels confident the project will be successful.

“We know there is strong demand for quality office space in west Houston right now,” Aaron Bidne, Granite Properties Development Manager, said. “Location and quality will be two of the main selling points for BriarPark Green. We’ve worked with Hoar previously and trust them to meet our high standards. This will be a true Class-A office.”

Briarpark Green will have efficient 25,000 s.f. floorplates for quick tenant finish. The lobby and public spaces will feature materials such as granite, exquisite wood paneling, ornate blown-glass fixtures, and elevators with in-cab televisions displaying news and building information. The office is designed per LEED Gold guidelines. A 6-story, 361,000 SF parking facility for over 1,000 cars will exclusively serve Briarpark Green tenants. shared with the office immediately west of Briarpark Green, which is Houston’s first LEED Platinum CS office building and home to PGAL.

Granite hopes to complete the project quickly in response to burgeoning market demand.

“Granite has very high expectations for this facility, both in terms of schedule and finish quality,” Hoar Project Manager Scott Thetford said. “Given our working relationship with Granite, I feel we share a mutual respect that will allow both firms to do what we do best. They know we are meticulous about details and we know they are well-versed in construction planning. And both firms work from the core value of fair treatment, so I’m confident BriarPark Green will be the shining jewel of Westchase that Granite envisions.”

For more efficient delivery and to optimize the project schedule, Hoar will be incorporating aggressive BIM and lean delivery principles into the project. Piping, window systems, casework, and other main components will be fabricated to the fullest extent possible off-site in a controlled environment to maximize quality of product assembly and minimize safety and schedule concerns. BIM will be especially important for the mechanical and electrical systems and on the building skin, to ensure the major scope of work is coordinated and eliminate costly revisions from clashes before they arise in the field.

Hoar has worked with Granite Properties since 2006, on the construction of Granite Westchase II, located at 10350 Richmond Avenue.