Houston Advanced Research Center
The Woodlands, Texas
Award of Merit

Owner: Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)
Lead Design Firm: Gensler
General Contractor: Brookstone LP
Civil Engineer: Vogt Engineering
Structural Engineer: Walter P Moore
MEP Engineer: CMTA Consulting Engineers
Landscape Architect: Applied Habitats

The Houston Advanced Research Center’s new headquarters is a LEED Platinum-certified, 18,600-sq-ft collaborative office and research building, which is also targeting net-zero-energy goals.

Sustainable elements in the $6.02-million building include geothermal HVAC, Dow Thermax exterior insulation, thermally vented cladding as well as low-energy and low-water consumption.

During the first two months of construction, the project lost 29 days to rainy weather. To get back on track, crews pumped water off the site every day and installed crane mats over the intended utility paths that provided access to the site. The adjustments allowed the project to get back on schedule and finish under budget more than a month early in March 2017.

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