Greenhouse Office Park was built as a speculative office building at the western edge of Houston's expanding Energy Corridor, so the owner wanted to accelerate speed to market to maximize return on investment. Tilt-up concrete construction allowed for an owner-mandated 10-month construction schedule from start to finish of the building's core and shell.
Greenhouse used a 4 + 1 design (four-story panel plus a one-story panel welded together) to achieve 5 stories. Given the very large panels, the project site was extremely tight. The building was set approximately 40 ft. south of Interstate 10 and just 35 ft. north of a residential sound wall. Because we had to erect all steel and pour all elevated decks prior to removing the braces, the panels were braced to the outside of the building footprint, rather than to the slab-on-grade inside. Hoar had to make two laps around the building erecting panels: one for the four-story panels and a second for the one-story panels. Maneuvering the crane around the braces was a challenge. The majority of the panels weighed more than 200,000 lbs. and were 11&frace34; in. thick.
To maximize tenant space on the first floor, the interior stair was designed to exit below grade. Hoar built an underground tunnel for egress, which required extensive waterproofing. The building is serving a need for high-end commercial office space in the growing suburban community of Katy, Texas. Greenhouse is seeking LEED Silver certification, and the use of tilt-wall construction has benefited the LEED checklist.
Katy, TX 77094
United States
The Tilt-Up Achievement Awards were established to honor projects that use site-cast tilt-up concrete to introduce new building types, advance industry technology and provide unique solutions to building programs. Winning entries illustrate the variety, beauty, and flexibility of tilt-up construction.
ACHIEVEMENT
2014
The world’s greatest tilt-up structures are featured by the TCA as Tilt-Up Achievement Award Winners. Learn more >