TreeHouse Memorial City becomes the highest rated LEED Platinum Core and Shell Building in Texas

The TreeHouse Memorial City office building, designed by Studio Red Architects, is a LEED Platinum certified two-story building that uses multiple sustainable design strategies for energy efficient lighting, water conservation, and efficient power consumption.

This green-roofed project uses 50 percent less energy than baseline office buildings for which it has been awarded an innovative technology credit award by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It has become the highest rated LEED Platinum Core and Shell Building in Texas.

The 14,700-square-feet building was design in collaboration with Acumen Design. The building exterior is clad with wood siding, limestone, natural vegetation and fitted glass which resemble the lower branches of a tree canopy. It features a geothermal cooling and heating system, daylight harvesting lights and a green roof with solar panels, rainwater harvesting and wind turbines.

For the interior flooring, the architects used reclaimed wood paneling from the Old Cotton Concentration Company warehouses in Galveston, while the exterior is clad with Machine wood from South America. The interior columns are wrapped in woodwork and have a tree-like appearance. A steel and wooden bridge connects it to the neighboring high-rise office building.