BP America announces three-phase Houston expansion

BP America on September 15 announced plans for a major expansion of its Houston-based operations on the city's West Side energy corridor to accommodate an employee and contractor population that could grow by 2,000 to about 8,000 by 2010. The recent acquisition of more than 50 acres adjacent to BP's Westlake campus solidified the three-phased growth plan.

"The Houston area represents a strategic hub for BP's North America Exploration and Production segment and its Gas, Renewables, Supply and Trading (GRS&T) segment," said Robert Malone, chairman and president of BP America. "The expansion of the Westlake campus is essential to the development of our businesses here. The planned infrastructure improvements and the construction of environmentally friendly buildings will showcase our values in a way that is beneficial to our staff and to the greater community as well."

The first phase of the development will include the construction of a seven-story commercial facility that will accommodate BP's GRS&T businesses. As proposed, the building will incorporate cutting edge designs for energy conservation and progressive employee environments. The expanded campus will include landscaping and outdoor zones conducive to interaction and integration of the new building into the campus.

BP will seek platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council. Upon completion, the building stands to be the first platinum LEED building in the Houston area. BP will break ground on the new GRS&T building in early 2007 with targeted completion in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Phase One of BP's plan also will include construction of a new 700-vehicle temporary parking lot to ease immediate congestion, a new parking garage for 1700 cars, widening of Grisby Road and the ongoing modernization of existing buildings to add amenities and upgrade to new work environments to accommodate the growing population.

The plan for Phase Two of the project commences with the construction of a new and larger Westlake Child Development Center on campus. The child development center has received national recognition for its programs and partnership with BP and is a highly valued benefit to employees on site. Campus enhancements during this phase will include development of team sports fields. Also under consideration are new facilities to house training and development functions to support BP's Westlake and regional populations.

In Phase Three, BP will evaluate the development of commercial facilities as a further enhancement to its growth plans. Under consideration are a hotel with meeting facilities and a "town square" for shops, restaurants and other businesses.

"BP is committed to developing and sustaining a presence in Houston for the long-term," said Malone. "The Westlake campus will provide a progressive office environment and enable us to thrive today and in the future."