Adaptability and an eye to the future gave the project team an edge in delivering the 30-story BHP Houston Campus tower. The project called for space to support a workforce that faces evolving demands and industry changes.

The Gensler design team created a facility to accommodate the changing needs of BHP’s business. The new headquarters provides flexibility for staff across more than 100 unique work settings and features social workspaces and open-plan work floors with no private offices. The building can accommodate 80 to 140 employees per floor without major infrastructure upgrades.

The flexibility of the design was put to the test during construction, when BHP asked to modify the workstations to expand capacity and make the spaces more visually interesting. Even though this request came in after 80% of the infrastructure had been installed, the “future-proof” design allowed the project team to seamlessly implement the changes.

Verbal communication presented another challenge, as the project required team members to speak in multiple languages to communicate with their various multilingual suppliers.

To foster a “maker culture” in the new tower, Gensler incorporated handcrafted, one-of-a-kind elements into the project and held “maker meets” to identify artisan partners.

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