flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

San Antonio’s electric utility HQ to transform into a modern office building

Office Buildings

San Antonio’s electric utility HQ to transform into a modern office building

The $10 million renovation will create 100,000 square feet of office and retail space with views of the city’s famed River Walk.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | June 13, 2022
146 Navarro ext 1
Courtesy Gensler.

In San Antonio, Tex., the former headquarters of CPS Energy, the city’s electric utility, is slated to transform into 100,000 square feet of office and retail space on San Antonio’s famed River Walk. BH Properties recently released its $10 million renovation plan for 146 Navarro.

Constructed in 1987, 146 Navarro has not been updated in decades. With the renovation project, each of the building’s three 28,000-square-foot cantilevered floors of office space will undergo a complete transformation to meet the modern needs of multiple tenants. The design, created by Gensler, takes advantage of the nine-foot floor heights, 1,500-square-foot wraparound patios, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering unobstructed views of the River Walk and downtown San Antonio.  

Each of the three office levels will have large, open floorplates with private, stepped-back terraces overlooking the river. The office component will sit on top of the once-private seven-story garage, which will be opened to the public to provide more than 600 parking spaces. 

BH Properties will introduce about 20,000 square feet of street-level retail, including a two-story restaurant with views of the river. In addition to the restaurant and bar, the ground floor will be further activated with covered terraces connecting to the River Walk. An enhanced lobby will feature an extruded glass box and metal panels. And BH will create several individual 750- to 1,500-square-foot retail pods on a new pocket park plaza.

The design also will include spaces for murals. Concepts will be sourced through a public art competition organized with Centro San Antonio, a placemaking organization focused on downtown San Antonio.

 

Building Team:

Owner and developer: BH Properties

Design architect: Gensler

MEP engineer: Alderson & Associates, Inc.

Structural engineer: Architectural Engineers Collaborative

Landscaping: MP Studio

General contractor/construction manager: Skanska

146 Navarro ext 2
Courtesy Gensler.
146 Navarro ext 3
Courtesy Gensler.

 

Related Stories

Multifamily Housing | Jul 25, 2023

San Francisco seeks proposals for adaptive reuse of underutilized downtown office buildings

The City of San Francisco released a Request For Interest to identify office building conversions that city officials could help expedite with zoning changes, regulatory measures, and financial incentives.

Market Data | Jul 24, 2023

Leading economists call for 2% increase in building construction spending in 2024

Following a 19.7% surge in spending for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings in 2023, leading construction industry economists expect spending growth to come back to earth in 2024, according to the July 2023 AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel. 

Office Buildings | Jul 24, 2023

A twist on office conversions maximizes leasable space  

A recent NELSON Worldwide project is made more suitable for multiple workplace tenants.

Biophilic Design | Jul 20, 2023

Transform your work environment with biophilic design

Lauren Elliott, Director of Interior Design, Design Collaborative, shares various ways biophilic design elements can be incorporated into the office space.

Office Buildings | Jul 20, 2023

The co-worker as the new office amenity

Incentivizing, rather than mandating the return to the office, is the key to bringing back happy employees that want to work from the office. Spaces that are designed and curated for human-centric experiences will attract employees back into the workplace, and in turn, make office buildings thrive once again. Perkins&Will’s Wyatt Frantom offers a macro to micro view of the office market and the impact of employees on the future of work.

Codes and Standards | Jul 19, 2023

Office leasing in major markets by financial services firms rebounds to pre-pandemic norms

Though the pandemic led to reductions in office leasing by financial services firms in gateway markets, a recent report by JLL found a notable leasing resurgence by those firms.

Sustainability | Jul 13, 2023

Deep green retrofits: Updating old buildings to new sustainability standards

HOK’s David Weatherhead and Atenor’s Eoin Conroy discuss the challenges and opportunities of refurbishing old buildings to meet modern-day sustainability standards.

Government Buildings | Jul 13, 2023

The recently opened U.S. Embassy in Ankara reflects U.S. values while honoring Turkish architecture

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has recently opened the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. The design by Ennead Architects aims to balance transparency and openness with security, according to a press statement. The design also seeks both to honor Turkey’s architectural traditions and to meet OBO’s goals of sustainability, resiliency, and stewardship.

Sponsored | Fire and Life Safety | Jul 12, 2023

Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]

Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.

Mass Timber | Jul 11, 2023

5 solutions to acoustic issues in mass timber buildings

For all its advantages, mass timber also has a less-heralded quality: its acoustic challenges. Exposed wood ceilings and floors have led to issues with excessive noise. Mass timber experts offer practical solutions to the top five acoustic issues in mass timber buildings.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category


AEC Innovators

3 ways the most innovative companies work differently

Gensler’s pre-pandemic workplace research reinforced that great workplace design drives creativity and innovation. Using six performance indicators, we're able to view workers’ perceptions of the quality of innovation, creativity, and leadership in an employee’s organization.


Laboratories

HGA unveils plans to transform an abandoned rock quarry into a new research and innovation campus

In the coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., an abandoned rock quarry will be transformed into a new research and innovation campus designed by HGA. The campus will reuse and upcycle the granite left onsite. The project for Cell Signaling Technology (CST), a life sciences technology company, will turn an environmentally depleted site into a net-zero laboratory campus, with building electrification and onsite renewables.


halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021