The 30-story Discovery Tower stands at the edge of downtown Houston’s new Discovery Green and at the forefront of green construction in the state. From the ten wind turbines on its roof – establishing it as the first office building of the kind in the city – to its solar-shading fins on its south elevation, Discovery Tower is a paragon of sustainability. And its state-of-the-art HVAC equipment is no exception.
Working closely with mechanical contractor Letsos and Wylie & Associates engineering group, HTS Texas provided a Haakon Custom Air-Handling Unit in the facility’s penthouse. This unit employs the widely acclaimed Semco 3 Angstrom molecular-sieve desiccant wheel. This equipment effectively channels fresh air into the building by transferring humidity and temperature from the already air-conditioned exhaust air. This process will save the owner more than $50,000 per year in annual energy consumption and is made possible because the wheel does not adsorb any constituents from the building exhaust. Semco is the only manufacturer that can make this claim through independent tests and research.
HTS Texas also provided three air-cooled chillers for the data center and fan-coil units and water-source equipment to supply the 872,000-square-foot building. Satisfied with the result, the client asked HTS Texas to provide additional energy-efficient equipment for the next phase of the build-out, as well.
“Sustainability and energy efficiency permeate all design aspects of the newly constructed Discovery Tower,” said Kimberly Thompson, market development director of laboratory/higher education at HTS Texas. “In collaboration with the project’s design team, HTS Texas was able to provide green, state-of-the-art equipment from leading manufacturers – contributing to LEED gold certification for the tower.”
And, aptly, one of the world’s leading energy companies has leased this entire $300 million energy-efficient skyscraper. In 2011, Hess Corp. will move its global headquarters for exploration and production to the Discovery Tower at 1501 McKinney, bringing approximately 1,200.
“Discovery Tower’s sustainable design puts Houston another exciting step closer to its goal of being the energy-efficient capital of the world,” said Houston Mayor Bill White, as reported in the Houston Business Journal.
In addition to the equipment HTS Texas provided for this Class A office building, Houstonians also will benefit from its water-efficient landscaping and plumbing fixtures, extensive use of natural light and storm water management system.
It appears that the energy hub of the nation is, indeed, setting new standards of green living and building for other cities and states to follow.