Architecture & Design
Known for iconic skyscrapers such as I.M. Pei’s JPMorgan Chase Building and Philip Johnson’s Pennzoil Place, Downtown boasts the largest cluster of award-winning architecture and design firms in the region. Design firms want to be near their clients, and Downtown has the most concentrated stock of offices with over 3,000 potential clients within walking distance.
Many of these industry leaders have played a major role in and are integral to the design of architectural masterpieces and visible landmarks that have transformed Downtown itself. Buffalo Bayou Park and Wortham Theater Center, as well as buildings that have set new global standards for sustainability and energy efficiency such as Capitol Tower – one of only three projects in the world and the first Houston development to achieve LEED® v4 Core and Shell Platinum Pre-Certification, and Hess Tower – Houston’s first downtown LEED® Platinum office building, are just a few. Downtown will continue to be a center of architectural activity, especially with the increasing number of ongoing and planned development projects, its leadership and emphasis on efficiency, sustainability, wellbeing, authenticity and innovation.