Allen Center Renovation

Overview

In the 1980s, Thornton Tomasetti was the structural engineer for the original design of Three and Four Allen Center in Houston. In 2017, we provided structural design services to Morrison Dilworth + Walls for the modernization of One, Two, and Three Allen Center, along with the surrounding landscaping on the seven-acre site. 

The site's renovation contributes to the revitalization of Houston’s downtown business district by offering areas for events, performances, art installations, retail spaces, a bar and a dining terrace.

Highlights

• Renovation of the 36-story One Allen Center consisted of localized demolition and reinforcement of the concrete lateral moment frame and steel floor framing. This retrofit, coupled with an extensive reimagining of the steel podium structure, created a two-story lobby topped by a private green roof terrace.
• The Two and Three Allen Center towers each received new canopies to replace the entrance awnings.
• Another key feature of this modernization is the green space, The Acre. The project team removed and replaced the landscaping that surrounds the three towers. The addition of new soil, planting and trees throughout the site required an exhaustive study of the concrete and steel framing at the street level. Through coordination with the contractor, owner and landscape architect, the project team realized a design that maintained the initial intent while minimizing beam, girder and connection reinforcing.