Fugro leases 75K sf for Houston HQ

Another company is making a move to Houston’s Energy Corridor.

Dutch geo-data company Fugro leased 75,000 square feet at 13501 Katy Freeway in the 35-acre Republic Square office campus, the Houston Business Journal reported. The site will be Fugro’s new U.S. headquarters, and it plans to move into the building by the end of the year.

Bill Insull and Blake Virgilio of Lee & Associates represented landlord Houston EC Development, an affiliate of Dallas-based Dart Interests. Moody Rambin brokers Bob Cromwell and Bob Gulley, along with Zack Taylor of Colliers International, represented Fugro.

Occupancy at the four-story, 325,000-square-foot building will jump from 50 to 70 percent with the addition of Furgo. The Mark Heine-led company currently operates at a seven-story building it owns at 6100 Hillcroft Avenue in Sharpstown.

“The new location not only puts us closer to our clients, but also provides our employees with a modern and highly efficient workspace with access to green spaces and numerous amenities,” Céline Gerson, president of Fugro USA, said.

Dart Interests acquired the campus from ExxonMobil 2014 and performed several renovations in 2020, including two new conference rooms and a fitness center, the outlet said. 

The deal follows the trend of companies favoring newly built or renovated office buildings to combat work-from-home trends set in motion by the pandemic. Many buildings in the Energy Corridor fit the bill, as a slew of companies have moved to the sprawling West Houston business district.

Last month, France-based Technip Energies leased 171,600 square feet in the 14-story office tower at 15377 Memorial Drive. Oilfield services giant Baker Hughes inked a deal last year to occupy 130,000 square feet at 575 Dairy Ashford Road. And Modec International signed a 116,161-square-foot lease for its new headquarters at West Memorial Place I in March.

—Quinn Donoghue