TC Energy Center

• Location: Houston, Texas, USA

• Designed by: Johnson/Burgee Architects

• Style: Postmodern

• Completed in: 1983

• Height: 240 m

TC Energy Center is located in Houston's downtown business district. The building, originally known as the Bank of America Center, was completed in 1983, during a time of significant economic growth in Houston. The early 1980s saw the city benefiting from a booming energy sector, particularly oil and gas, which was driving both economic expansion and corporate investment in office spaces. This period also marked a transition for Houston, as it evolved from a primarily industrial city to a financial and business hub. The construction of the TC Energy Center reflected this shift, providing a modern, high-rise office building to accommodate the growing demand for office space.

It was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects, the renowned post modern architectural firm by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, in the style of neo-Gothic postmodern. Its design features a combination of sleek modernism and classical elements, with a distinctive triangular shape and a series of setbacks that create a dynamic silhouette against the Houston skyline. The building's facade is complemented by decorative details of Swedish Napoleon red granite and reflective glass, which add a sense of elegance and strength.

"Cladded with red granite and reflective glass"

"Pinnacles resemble those of gothic architecture"

The TC Energy Center complex consists of a tower building and a three-storey lobby building. Where the three-storey building stands today, there used to be an existing office building (a two-storey Western Union building) where it would have been astronomically costly to be demolished due to the existing telegraph cables. It was therefore decided to build the three-storey lobby completing surrounding the Western Union building leaving all its telegraph cables in place.

"Entrance to the three-storey lobby building"

"Side view of lobby building with matching pinnacles with the tower"

References:

Hines. (n.d.). TC Energy Center, Houston. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.hines.com/properties/tc-energy-center-houston

Kendall/Heaton Associates. (n.d.). Bank of America Center. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.kendall-heaton.com/projects/bank-of-america-center/

Waymarking. (n.d.). Bank of America Center - Houston, TX. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMZQR_Bank_of_America_Center_Houston_TX

WhiteMAD. (n.d.). They built it 40 years ago: The high-rise TC Energy Center. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://www.whitemad.pl/en/they-built-it-40-years-ago-the-high-rise-tc-energy-center/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). TC Energy Center. In Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TC_Energy_Center