HOUSTON–KDC and Sarofim Realty Advisors have broken ground on a two-story, 68,950-square-foot office building in Houston. The build-to-suit project will become the new home for Lennar Corp.

“Lennar was seeking a developer with a strong history of build-to-suit development and implementation in a fast-track timeframe,” said KDC's Houston partner, William Peeples. “KDC has completed more than 125 build-to-suit projects for leading companies and we are thrilled to add Lennar to the list.”

Located at 681 Greens Parkway, across from the current Lennar offices in Greens Crossing, the new facility will house 225 associates from Lennar, Village Builders, Friendswood Development Co., Universal American Mortgage Co. and North American Title Co.

"KDC has a long history as a leading custom home builder for corporate America, which makes this new office project for an actual home builder really fun for us,” Peeples told GlobeSt.com. “We opened the Houston office about a year ago, and we are thrilled that Lennar and our business associates are part of our anniversary celebration.

The building will include a 5,000-square-foot design center to showcase Village Builders' latest in-home product offerings. The building will also feature an open, two-story lobby that extends through the core of the building, providing abundant natural light and allowing all departments direct lobby access. 

“The Houston office of Lennar has experienced tremendous growth, and this new office is a direct reflection of that. With the new building we will be able to upgrade our space with minimal disruption, providing our associates and our customers with an inviting office environment to work and visit,” says John Hammond, president of Friendswood Development, a Lennar company.

The new Houston office building will be adjacent to a five-acre pond, which will feature a walking trail and extensive landscaping to provide an enjoyable outdoor environment for Lennar and other future tenants at Greens Crossing Office Park. 

“The Lennar Houston headquarters assignment was very challenging given the specific parameters for location and layout. CBRE completed a comprehensive market search for existing options, but none of the available assets really conformed to the critical requirements. The KDC build-to-suit option at a preferred location was the best solution for the multiple business entities of Lennar Corporation who will co-locate at Greens Crossing. We are quite excited that we achieved a terrific outcome for a highly valued client,” says Jerry Frey, senior vice president at CBRE.

Construction on Lennar's office building will begin immediately with completion scheduled for October 2015.

Powers Brown Architecture is the project architect, Rosenberger Construction is the general contractor and Halff Associates is the civil engineer. Jerry Frey, Ron McWherter and Darren Gowell with CBRE represented Lennar in the transaction. JP Hutcheson with Cassidy Turley represented KDC and Sarofim Realty Advisors.