Skanska has announced plans to build a 28-story, 375K SF Class-A office building at 1550 Lamar St., the first phase in developing a mixed-use district adjacent to Discovery Green in Downtown Houston.

1550 on the Green will occupy one of the three land parcels that is ultimately slated to be transformed into a master-planned district called Discovery West: 3.5 acres of mixed-use development with restaurants, retail and green space. Skanska purchased the land parcel in October 2019.

Skanska has secured global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP as the anchor tenant for the building. Norton Rose Fulbright is expected to relocate its existing Houston office to 1550 Lamar St. upon completion of the building in 2024, and to acquire naming rights upon occupancy. CBRE’s Jon Lee represented the tenant in the lease transaction.

Skanska and Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group completed the master plan for Discovery West in early 2020, working alongside leaders from Central Houston Inc., Discovery Green, Bike Houston, the Kinder Foundation and several commercial real estate brokers. The district will prioritize walkability, community and world-class architecture, Skanska said, and it is being designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Construction is expected to begin in 2021.

The project is BIG’s first project in Texas. 1550 on the Green will feature extra-wide pedestrian zones with a canopy of trees, two tenant-exclusive outdoor roof terraces located on the 12th and 20th floors, and wide views of the surrounding greenery. The building will also have an eight-level parking garage and floor-to-ceiling vision glass.

On the ground floor, tenants and guests will have access to 7K SF of retail as well as a lobby with touchless security turnstiles, app-based guest registration and destination dispatch elevators. The building’s floor plates will range from 16K SF to 26K SF.

Austin-based architect Michael Hsu has been tapped to design the interior amenity spaces, which include a fitness center, rooftop event space and terrace on level 28, and community spaces throughout the property.

Skanska is also developing a new mixed-use multifamily and retail project in Montrose, after the firm acquired a 124K SF, 2.86-acre site in the neighborhood for $27M in August. The site is on the corner of Westheimer Road and Montrose Boulevard, and demolition of the existing retail center is expected to begin in January.