Hines Levit Green Building I

This is the first building constructed at Levit Green, a planned 53-acre mixed-use life sciences district near the Texas Medical Center in the heart of Houston’s life sciences hub.

Levit Green will provide purpose-built lab and office space for the region’s burgeoning life sciences community, providing a best-in-class research environment that enables tenants to scale or grow in place. The plan calls for nine projects in the multisite district, which can accommodate up to four million square feet of lab-centric, mixed-use space.

The five-story commercial life sciences building has a curated mix of sophisticated research facilities, office, retail, residential, lakes and outdoor amenities.

The expansive 56,000-sq.-ft. floor plates and 33-foot structural bay depths accommodate a variety of tenants. Research and office teams can easily create efficient configurations that promote collaboration. Floors also can be easily divided among multiple tenants.

The ground floor can accommodate more than 25,000 square feet of top-tier lab incubator space for entrepreneurs and early-stage life sciences companies, as well as space for manufacturing.

Other building features attractive to life sciences tenants include the enhanced structural vibration attenuation, 100 percent redundant emergency power and augmented mechanical systems.

Best-in-class amenities on the ground floor include a conference center, fitness center, café and restaurant space.

With a design focused on sustainability, health and wellness, the team is targeting high levels of LEED and WELL certification.

HOK has partnered with real estate investment firm Hines, investment management firm Harrison Street and 2ML Real Estate Interests (formerly The Grocers Supply Co., Inc.) on the project. The team began schematic design of the fast-track Building I in September 2020, and it is expected to open in early 2023.

Site Design

As the former home of the Grocers Supply Co., Inc., the land on which Levit Green is being developed has long been an important place for commerce in Houston. The site is adjacent to the Texas Medical Center inside Houston’s I-610 Loop, less than three miles from the central business district and next to one of its largest parks. Tenants have easy access to State Highway 288, METRORail, METRO bus, bike trails and the planned TMC3 medical research campus. There is ample on-site parking.

HOK’s design creates a welcoming, active landscape that acts as another tenant amenity. Public outdoor spaces include lawns, shade structures, a variety of seating options and a garden area. New trees and vegetation have been planted and some legacy trees have been relocated. Private outdoor spaces for tenants include a landscaped courtyard just outside the conference center where people can socialize and work.

The east side of Building I faces a one-acre lake—the first of several lakes that will create the feeling of an urban oasis at Levit Green. The lakeside promenade includes several outdoor “rooms” where people can work or relax next to the water.