Established in 2017, SeaSide Poké's menu uses locally sourced produce from Texas farms and sustainably caught fish to create traditional Hawaiian fare along with local appeal.

“Our involvement at Understory will be a great way to showcase Houston's diversity, culture and fortitude that we hold near and dear to our hearts,” said Kristy Nguyen, co-founder of SeaSide Poké. “It is an honor to be a part of the effort to give back to our community and to show off our pride in delivering high-quality, delicious and nutritious food in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.”

Nick Hernandez, Crystal Allen and Lacee Wilke from Transwestern represented Skanska and SeaSide Poké in the transaction.

With a design by the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, Understory kitchens will have artist murals, copper clad kitchen hoods, butcher block countertops and white marble. In addition to an abundance of community space and a full-service restaurant, Understory features a culinary market with seven chef-driven concepts and a cocktail bar.

A design hallmark of Understory is the open-air blending of the street and tunnel levels, facilitated by the “Great Steps,” a 30-foot-wide monumental staircase and gathering place that will create the first true street level gateway to the tunnel network. This gateway will be highlighted by a large hanging art installation that will be visible from Capitol, Rusk and Milam streets.

Situated at 800 Capitol St. on a block in Houston's Central Business District, Understory's location is near cultural landmarks such as Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, the Alley Theatre, Revention Music Center, Market Square Park and Wortham.

When Capitol Tower lights up Houston's skyline later this year, it will be the most sustainable office tower in Houston, using 25% less energy than typical baseline facilities. Pre-certified under LEED v4 Platinum, one of only four core-and-shell projects nationwide, the 754,000-square-foot sustainable office development will feature a number of green amenities, including SkyPark, the first and largest green roof in downtown Houston to be open to all building tenants.

Skanska's other developments in Houston include the first LEED Platinum campus in the Energy Corridor, a two-building West Memorial Place project which offers direct access to the Terry Hershey Park hike and bike trails. Skanska also developed 3009 Post Oak, a 302,000- square-foot office building in the Uptown Houston location at Post Oak Blvd and Hidalgo.

When food halls began, they were largely divided into two basic camps: larger projects often in historic, transit-oriented locales or smaller, mostly chef-driven concepts. But, almost all of which were located in Manhattan and just a handful of other American cities.

What was largely relegated to just a few markets has since exploded. Just as consumer behavior, e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar retail are evolving at a breakneck pace, so too is the food hall movement, according to Cushman & Wakefield's report, Food Halls 3.0: The Evolution Continues.