Office of the Future in Houston

Introduction

Within a few weeks Brookfield Property Partners’  Design Hive Houston is scheduled to unveil its Office of the Future project in the iconic 1600 Smith Street building in downtown Houston. The Houston Business Journal and Construction Dive both recently featured the project, and in this post, we recap the project highlights and share what we like about it.

About the Office of the Future Project

Four architecture firms with a strong Houston presence: Gensler, Rottet Studio, Ziegler Cooper and Inventure Design, were each invited by Brookfield to design an office suite that represents their vision for an Office of the Future on the #37th floor of 1600 Smith. O'Donnell Snider is the general contractor.

Each architecture firm was given a budget, but no client, and was tasked with incorporating cutting edge technologies and work habits within a space that had not been significantly renovated since 1984.

The project is designed to encourage innovation, creating workspaces that reflect our evolving work styles.  With the rise of millennials in the workplace, a trend towards mobility, collaborative spaces, incorporating daylight, increasing technologies and virtual interface, our office spaces should reflect those changing needs.

Check out a video highlighting the project here.  

What we Like about the Project

The fact that this project is a renovation of 1984 office space, as opposed to a new build or newer building, is nice to see.  Creating an Office of the Future environment within the framework of an existing, and perhaps dated structure, is a practical case study.  Houston has a large inventory of existing office space, and this project will be an example of possible renovations and improvements that can transform a space to meet the needs of a contemporary work environment.

Simply put, we appreciate good commercial and office space design, and this project is intended to highlight just that.  The designs are set to be revealed later this month.

Lastly, we like the fact that Houston was selected to host this competition.   In 2015, Design Hive launched with a similar competition in a building in Downtown Los Angeles.  Design Hive Houston will be the second such concept. We love to see our hometown selected for high-profile or innovative events, including this project. 

More Information & Source

For more information regarding Design Hive Houston, please click here

Opinions expressed by Garrison Construction Group, LLC do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Design Hive or other sources or partners cited in this post.