DBR Engineering worked with Michael Hsu Office of Architecture on a five-story mixed-use development in Houston’s Uptown area, near the Galleria. The 112,000 square foot building is located on a 1.65-acre parcel at 1801 Post Oak Blvd. and was completed in late 2020.
The Zadok family moved the Zadok Jewelers showroom into a 26,000 square foot space in the building, essentially doubling the size of its previous showroom at 1749 Post Oak near the Galleria, where the store has been located for the past 43 years. In addition to the Zadok Jewelers showroom, the new building also includes 11,000 square feet of restaurant space with patios and 68,000 square feet of office space on the upper level. The design features a 26-foot, drive-thru area for the retail entrances, and has space for valet service, as well as a concierge lobby for the upper levels.
DBR provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering as well as LEED management services for the development. The project was designed with sustainability at the forefront of decision-making and achieved a LEED Silver rating. Sustainable design features include locating the project on a previously developed site in an area that is within walking distance of a diverse array of building types in order to reduce the need for driving. Additionally, the project includes electric vehicle charging stations to encourage the use of electric vehicles at this location.
Site lighting for this project was designed to use significantly less energy annually than other buildings in this area while minimizing light pollution and up-lighting from the site. Indoor lighting for the facility utilizes LED lighting with daylight harvesting, dimming controls, and zoned controls to conserve energy and exceed energy code requirements for energy-efficient lighting controls. High-efficiency HVAC systems, including a VRF system on the first 2 floors of the building, are another major contributor to the overall energy conservation goals of the project. Plumbing utilities for the building are served by a fire pump and domestic water pump. The building also included an underground stormwater detention vault. Efficient indoor plumbing fixtures and outdoor water usage design contribute to a substantial reduction in annual water consumption compared to similar buildings. In addition to these efficient design techniques, the project utilizes advanced metering and submetering in order to accurately measure the real-time energy and water consumption of the building to ensure that the design operates as intended.
Finally, the project utilizes design techniques that are geared toward positively influencing the health and well-being of building occupants. To achieve this goal, the project materials were selected with the indoor air quality and occupant health impacts in mind, there is a strict no-smoking protocol for the entire area of the building site, and the HVAC systems have been designed to provide an enhanced environmental quality through the use of increased ventilation, MERV 13 filtration, and CO2 monitoring.
Houston Business Journal has named Post Oak Place a finalist in the mixed-use category and Zadok Jewelers a finalist in the retail category in the 2022 Landmark Awards.
Development Team
| Owner | Zadok Jewelers |
| Architect | Michael Hsu Office of Architecture |
| General Contractor | Harvey Builders |
| MEP Engineer | DBR Engineering Consultants, Inc. |
| Civil Consultant | Pape-Dawson Engineers |
| Structural | IMEG Corp |
| Landscape | Kudela & Weinheimer |
| Other | Cushman & Wakefield and Nina Magon |