When Sabre Inc. purchased the 156-acre Solana office park in Southlake, TX, it laid plans for a pleasant work environment. But company officials also decided to construct environmentally friendly buildings that incorporate high efficiency HVAC and electrical systems recycled building materials and native, low water landscaping. Company officials hope the project will eventually qualify for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Construction began on Phase I of the campus in mid-February. By June, piers were in and concrete foundation walls were going up. This phase of the project includes two five-story buildings — Building A with 250,000 sq. ft. and Building B with 200,000 sq. ft., along with a 500,000-sq.-ft. garage. Sabre officials are managing the construction. H.C. Beck Construction Co. is the contractor, and HKS Inc. is the architect.

“The entire project could include as many as eight different phases,” said Bob Panizo, senior project manager for Sabre. “We’re already starting to talk about Phase II.”

For now, though, Sabre officials are focused on things environmental, like the planned drainage system that will utilize an on-site retention pond to hold water for irrigation. Such a system will not only conserve water, it will also bypass the need to tap into the city’s water supply. In addition to recycled water, the buildings are chock full of recycled construction materials — drywall, insulation, roofing, steel, glass, carpet, concrete, aggregates and even the fire-treated wood contain some amount of recycled material.

Exterior construction utilizes a combination of natural Texas limestone on the first three floors and pre-cast concrete on the upper two floors. The superstructure is made of cast-in-place concrete.

Phase I is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2001. The entire project will require a capital investment of more than $540 million for construction of all phases and $130 million in high-tech communications and other equipment. The buildings will be constructed based on the company’s need for expansion.

Sabre chose Southlake after a comprehensive study that included a review of traffic analyses, housing and recreational opportunities. The company projects that the campus, which is located off Highway 114 near Fort Worth, TX, will accommodate as many as 10,000 employees by the year 2008.

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