HOUSTON — Hess Tower, a prominent office building in downtown Houston, earned the International TOBY (The Outstanding Building of the Year) Award at the 2017 Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Conference & Expo in Nashville, Tennessee.
Managed by CBRE, Hess Tower won in the BOMA “Corporate Facility” category, recognizing excellence in building management and operations for corporate office properties.
The 29-story office tower at 1501 McKinney sits adjacent to Discovery Green park. During construction it was known as Discovery Tower until Hess signed a lease for the entire building in 2009.
Developed by Trammell Crow Company and Principal Real Estate Investors, the 845,000-square-foot building was completed in 2010.
Hess Tower is owned by H&R REIT, which purchased the property in 2011 for more than $500 per square foot — a record price for Houston at the time.
Designed by Gensler, the building was the first in Houston’s central business district to achieve LEED Platinum certification in the Core & Shell category, reflecting high standards for sustainability and energy performance.
“This award is the most prestigious honor that a property management team can receive and is a true testament to the operational excellence that the CBRE team at Hess Tower has been demonstrating for many years,” said Janet Shipley, Associate Director for Asset Services at CBRE.
The TOBY Awards represent the commercial real estate industry’s highest recognition for building management and operational performance across specific building types and sizes. To qualify for an International TOBY Award, a property must first secure local and regional TOBY wins. Judging criteria include community impact, tenant and employee relations, energy management systems, accessibility, emergency evacuation procedures, staff training programs, and overall building quality. Industry experts also conduct comprehensive on-site inspections as part of the evaluation.
“At CBRE, we pride ourselves on upholding our company’s values while creating advantages for clients by reducing operating costs, streamlining processes, maximizing tenant retention and enhancing the tenant experience in every building,” said Mark Nicholson, Senior Managing Director of Asset Services at CBRE. “We are honored that BOMA has recognized our team’s efforts with this prestigious award.”