[Urbannizer]

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...r-13083568.php

The Hines development firm is starting construction on its newest downtown tower, a 47-story skyscraper on Texas Avenue that the company says represents a revolutionary shift in the way it approaches office building design.

The Houston-based developer, which will move its own global headquarters to the building after more than 45 years in the Galleria area, said the design is laser focused on the needs of modern office tenants and their desire to attract the best workers in their fields, many of whom fall into the under-40 demographic.

“It’s every firm — energy, finance, legal, accounting — anyone trying to recruit and retain is a candidate for this building,” said John Mooz, senior managing director for Hines’ southwest region.

In addition to the Hines lease, Vinson & Elkins, the largest and one of the oldest law firms in Houston, will occupy the top seven floors. The firm signed a 16-year lease for 212,000 square feet of space.

Visually, the 1 million-square-foot tower will be a striking addition to the skyline by rising diagonally from the 800 block of Texas Avenue. Linear “sky atriums” will run vertically along the tower, a design element that aims to bring a feeling of the outdoors inside.

The building will combine the best elements of Hines’ other projects, the company said, including under-floor air systems, an abundance of natural light, active gathering areas and outdoor spaces.

“It’s intended to capture many of our best practices from around the world,” Mooz said.

The yet-to-be-named building project is a partnership between Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Canadian development and investment firm.

Architecture firm Pelli Clarke Pelli designed the signature tower to the highest standards that Hines has ever built in Houston, the developer said. The two firms have collaborated on buildings in other major cities and were responsible for the recently opened, instantly iconic Salesforce Tower in San Francisco.

The building will open in late 2021 as Hines’ 12th ground-up office tower downtown. Its most recent office projects there were 811 Main and 609 Main and the company recently developed a residential tower as well.

Hines had long coveted the Chronicle property, which it purchased in 2015 after the newspaper and media group announced that it would move to a building on the Southwest Freeway.

“We have had our eye on that site for well over 20 years,” Mooz said. “When the site became available we aggressively pursued the opportunity because of its location.”

Hines also owns the former Chronicle parking garage just northwest of its office block. It plans to build a second downtown residential project there, but a timeline has not been set.