Gensler-designed Framework @ Block 10 will be Houston’s first mass timber commercial office building
A Houston project plans to achieve two firsts: the city’s first mass timber commercial office project, and the state of Texas’s first commercial office building targeting net zero energy operational carbon upon completion next year. Framework @ Block 10 is owned and managed by Hicks Ventures, a Houston-based development company.
Located in Houston’s Memorial City district, the six-floor, 200,000-sf office building will be built with sustainably sourced heavy timber. Because of mass timber’s carbon-storage capability, the building will save more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions, and it will achieve 100% reduction in outdoor potable municipal water consumption and more than 50% reduction in indoor potable municipal water consumption, Hicks Ventures says.
Designed by Gensler, with mass timber design and engineering by StructureCraft, Framework @ Block 10 will comprise dowel laminated timber (DLT) floor and roof panels supported by glulam post and beam framing designed to showcase the wood’s beauty and efficiency. A rainwater harvesting cistern, full roof solar panels, LED lighting, and a sensory system will help reduce wasteful energy use. The building design targets LEED Platinum certification, WiredScore Platinum, and WELL Platinum building standards.
More at: https://www.bdcnetwork.com/gensler-de...