Houston Downtown’s 609 Main
By Wally Ford
609 Main’s height of 756 feet above street level makes it the tallest building to be built in Houston in the last 30 years. It is a 50-level 1.8 million square foot office building under construction downtown. One million square feet of office space sit on top of fourteen levels of parking, two of which are below grade. The building includes approximately 30,000 square feet of green roofs and a 60-foot high cantilevered crown above level 49. The analysis, design, and construction of the foundation and the overall structural system of this building will be discussed.
Mr. Ford is a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degree and Master of Civil Engineering degree from Rice University. Wally has over 35 years of experience in the planning and design of structural systems for commercial and institutional buildings. He has had the opportunity to work on a variety of building sizes and types, including high-rises up to 75 stories. Wally has been an employee at Cardno Haynes Whaley since 1998, where he serves as an Executive Vice President. Wally has served as a lecturer for structural courses in the Architecture Department of Rice University for ten years
