Discovery Green earned LEED Gold Certification making it the first completed LEED Gold project for new construction in downtown Houston. The park project was initiated by Houston Mayor Bill White, who supported the development of the park through a public-private partnership between the city and the Discovery Green Conservancy, a non-profit organization that led the fundraising, design, building, construction and operations of the park.
Hargreaves Associates of San Francisco were the park's prime landscape architects and planners, along with Houston landscape architect Lauren Griffith. PageSoutherlandPage of Houston designed the park’s architecture and led the LEED certification process with the Discovery Green Conservancy. Houston-based Miner-Dederick Construction served as general contractor and was responsible for many of the LEED requirements.
The scope of the certification includes both the 12-acre park site and the three above-ground buildings: The Grove, the Alkek Building and The Lake House building.
Discovery Green, which opened in April 2008, features a one-acre lake; a children’s playground area; interactive water features; a multi-use amphitheater stage and sloping lawn; dog runs; various public art works; a Houston Public Library Express office; and spacious gardens.
