FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kirksey-Designed Woodlands Corporate Campus Relocates 100-year-old Trees


HOUSTON, TEXAS — Wildwood Corporate Centre II, the second phase of the Kirksey-designed Woodlands-area corporate campus for GeoSouthern Energy, broke ground on May 7, 2015. The ceremony, which included the relocation of two century-old, 60-foot tall live oak trees, was a symbolic gesture of the project team’s dedication to sustainability and preserving Houston’s natural landscapes. Kirksey designed Wildwood I and II with EE Reed as general contractor.The property is being developed by Archway Properties on behalf of GeoSouthern Energy, and CBRE is handling the leasing.

“This project is a true testament to GeoSouthern Energy’s commitment to the environment and it ties in well with The Woodlands community’s focus on maintaining a natural environment,” said Steve Rocher, Executive Vice President at CBRE. “Many companies in the greater Houston area look for sustainability and green elements in their office buildings and this is a big selling factor for Wildwood Corporate Centre.”

Kirksey and Archway Properties worked with local arborist, Environmental Design & Davey, a company that has relocated trees at the 9/11 World Trade Center memorial site in New York City, to move, set, and preserve the two trees that now live within the central courtyard using a roundball transplant technique.

“Uprooting and moving these century-old trees took a lot of coordination and effort, but understanding GeoSouthern’s dedication to the natural landscape gave us a rare opportunity to design a campus around these specimen trees,” said Justin Chu, project architect at Kirksey. “The live-oaks helped define many of the materials used in the project and will undoubtedly become a focal point for the building occupants to enjoy.”

Sitting adjacent to Wildwood Corporate Centre I, Corporate Centre II consists of an 8-story, 218,000 sf office tower, a 5-level, 780-car parking garage and a 2-story 10,000-sf fitness facility. The prominent front of the office tower utilizes an extruded terra cotta façade system, staggered in a randomized pattern, to mimic the perception of looking through a tree canopy. Wildwood Corporate Centre II is seeking LEED Silver Certification and the project is expected to complete in August 2016.

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