Zero Energy

Houston Endowment Foundation Headquarters

Houston Endowment FoundationHouston, Texas

Houston Endowment is one of the largest private foundations in Texas. For this project, CMTA is the engineer of record for all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and technology services.

The Foundation sought a new dedicated headquarters on a more accessible site to boost its engagement with the local community and live up to its commitment to the people of greater Houston. The Houston Endowment's goals for the project are focused on providing healthy operational space for its staff, accessible and inspiring meeting spaces and flexible and innovative engagement facilities for convening and collaborating with its community partners. This new headquarters will give the Foundation greater visibility, being a physical expression of the philanthropic institution's social and environmental values.

A holistic approach to design, engineering, and operations is being applied to achieve exceptionally low energy use and reduced emissions, following the guidelines of the 2030 NetZero Challenge. To reduce energy use intensity and meet sustainability goals, a closed-loop geothermal wellfield will be installed onsite to support heating and cooling for the facility. A roof-mounted photovoltaic system will provide a renewable source of energy for the facility, making it operate Zero Energy.