1550 on the Green reduces embodied carbon and provides 30 percent more fresh air than traditional office buildings.

Article by Dirk Kestner
Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at Walter P Moore

How Houston, Texas, lives, works, and plays has forever changed with the design and construction of 1550 on the Green. Located in Houston’s Central Business District, this $225 million, 28-story, 375,000-sf development provides its Class-A commercial tenants with several amenities, scenic views, and a state-of-the-art sustainable fresh airflow system. The structure features a tenant-only rooftop conference center, outdoor space on multiple floors, a fitness center designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, and top-of-the-line security features.

1550 on the Green is adjacent to Discovery Green, Houston’s 12-acre city park, where tenants can take in the gardens, art exhibits, or simply find a bench by the lake to soak in the serenity of the park.

Spanning three city blocks, the first phase of Discovery West includes the collection of 1550 on the Green’s six articulated structures that are setback into distinctive sections each of which curve as they steadily rise to 450 feet.

Unlike most developments, 1550 on the Green features a core that contains the elevators while the restrooms are located on the side of each tower—this design offers several added benefits to its occupants. First, oversized windows allow light to penetrate non-traditional areas including the elevator lobbies and restrooms. Next, unobstructed open floorplates allow for more natural light to seep deeper into each level than conventional floorplate designs and the side-core design allows each tower to breathe. Additionally, new technology designed to keep the tenant’s health and wellness in mind was installed into 1550 on the Green, including an airflow system that provides 30 percent more fresh air distribution compared to similar office buildings.

Sustainability and the impact of embodied carbon were an integral aspect of the design of 1550 on the Green. Walter P Moore, which provided structural engineering services, collaborated with Skanska Commercial Development to build upon the lessons the Walter P Moore team gleaned from a previous project, Bank of America Tower, also located in Houston

The design team performed a Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) during early design phases to identify “hot spots” of CO₂ emissions and to identify areas of design improvement. Walter P Moore focused on optimization strategies for the floor and foundation systems. The design team then used their past local experience and knowledge to establish environmental requirements for the concrete mix design. This allowed the project to achieve the embodied carbon impact reduction threshold required for the LEED V 4.1 Building Lifecycle Impact Reduction credit.

In addition to the design phase WBLCA, the EC3 tool (Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator) was employed as a supply chain accountability tool to encourage the use of materials with product-specific Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). When the Construction Documents were issued, mixes with mix-specific EPDs were unavailable in Houston. However, the ready-mix concrete contract was awarded to CEMEX, the selected local ready-mix supplier, based on embodied carbon estimates with the commitment that mix-specific EPDs would be provided during construction.

To date, 1550 on the Green has achieved WiredScore Platinum and is seeking LEED Platinum v.4, WELL Platinum certifications, and Fitwel certification.

Project Team

Owner/developer: Skanska USA Commercial Development
Design architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Architect of record: Kendall Heaton
Structural engineer: Walter P Moore
Civil engineer: Walter P Moore
Landscape architect: SWA Group
Interior design architect: Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
MEP engineer: Wylie Engineering
General contractor: Skanska USA Building