HOUSTON – One Shell Plaza, the first downtown skyscraper developed by Gerald D. Hines, has been awarded an International TOBY (The Outstanding Building of the Year) Award at the 2017 Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Conference & Expo in Nashville, Tenn.
The 50-story tower, which is owned by Busycon Properties LLC, won in the “Renovated” category.
The building, 910 Louisiana St., is managed by Hines and leased by Colvill Office Properties.
Completed in 1971, One Shell Plaza underwent a major $80 million renovation between 1991 and 1993. A second major renovation was completed recently.
“The scope of the renovation included: architectural changes to the lobby and plaza, new graphics, elevator modernization, major upgrades of the building’s electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems, new lighting, new windows, curtain wall restoration, asbestos abatement, ADA modifications and all new life safety systems,” according to Hines. Sarah Sutton of Hines is property manager.
Shell Oil recently vacated the building to move to a new campus in west Houston. Shell placed 800,000 SF of office space in the One Shell building on the sublease market.
The TOBY Awards are the commercial real estate industry’s highest recognition honoring excellence in commercial building management and operations.
To win an International TOBY Award, a building first must win both local and regional competitions. Judging is based on community impact, tenant and employee relations programs, energy management systems, accessibility, emergency evacuation procedures, building personnel training programs and overall quality indicators. A team of industry professionals also conducts comprehensive building inspections as part of the evaluations.