THE LOBBY OF one of Houston's most iconic buildings has a sexy new look, and the architects responsible are bragging about it on social media!
The soaring lobby and café space of the Uptown area's Williams Tower, which is linked to the Galleria by a skybridge, has an urbane new vibe thanks to a design created in partnership with Ziegler Cooper Architects and O'Donnell Snider Construction. Ziegler Cooper took to Instagram to share striking photos by Mabry Campbell, and explain how they were able to "activate the lobby, lounge and skybridge."
According to the architecture firm's post, "This repositioning was able to preserve the existing pink Texas granite and other architectural features … while bringing in new contemporary features that complement the original design." Among the design elements highlighted in the splashy new photos is a large-scale chandelier of dripping blue crystals that seems more like an art installation as it crisscrosses the escalator.
Originally known as Transco Tower, Williams Tower was dubbed the "Skyscraper of the Century" by Texas Monthly in 1999. It stands 64 stories tall, as the tallest building in Houston outside Downtown — and the fourth-tallest building in all of Texas. It was built in the early 1980s by developer Gerald Hines, who officed there himself. Hines passed away last summer.
The famous architect Philip Johnson — who drew plans for many of the world's most notable buildings, including several in Houston — was among Williams Towers' team of architects. Johnson designed the Lipstick Building in New York and is perhaps best known for his own modernist Glass House in Connecticut.
Ziegler Cooper's other projects in Houston include the design of Downtown's Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Episcopal High's athletic center, the Caydon Drewery Place mixed-use development and apartment tower, and the office buildings at 1 and 3 Riverway.