Jury Assembly Room

Houston, Texas

This facility consumes an entire block in downtown Houston and is 85% below grade. The original structure design specified a traditional shoring system that included anchors placed under streets owned by the City of Houston, a fact Hoar uncovered through pre-bid due diligence. We contacted the City of Houston to confirm permit requirements; the City countered by demanding a ground lease for the use of its property, which the project budget could not accommodate. Hoar pulled the City, County and design team together to discuss the situation and ultimately drive to a solution based on an alternative "in bound" shoring system that works within the boundaries of the County’s property. Hoar retained an engineer to review the new design, which actually reduced project cost because less dirt had to be excavated and replaced with backfill. That saved both material and time. The County was impressed with Hoar's attention to detail and ability to generate creative solutions to significant problems.