McGowen Station

Introduction

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Houston’s McGowen Station is a luxury apartment community by developer Camden Living that boasts 315 apartment units and amenities such as a zero-edge pool, stunning park views, and a social lounge with a full gourmet kitchen. Located within walking distance of more than 140 restaurants and shops in the trendy, desirable Midtown neighborhood, this stunning, $90-million dollar multifamily project offers its residents the best of the best in urban living.

The  Story

That “best of the best” even includes the material selected for the exterior facade of the structure. The specifiers with architectural firm W Partnership opted for Crossville Porcelain Tile Panels by Laminam. These tiles, measured in feet—not inches, are a distinctive, upscale material that would help McGowen Station visually stand out from the street and help set the stage for luxurious interiors and lifestyle to be experienced inside.

The W Partnership proved to be the innovator in Houston by creating an exterior gauged porcelain tile panel installation. The uniqueness of the tile panels intrigued both the building designer and the owner, and the numerous color options gave the decision-makers some latitude in the final selection. After months of design considerations, the team chose Crossville’s Crossville’s Oxide collection in the Moro color as a decorative accent for the six-story mid-rise.

The Oxide collection offers a subtle, metallic shimmer that contributes to the stylish, industrial look of the building’s exterior. It also provides a framing effect. The powerful porcelain body of these panels ensure the surfaces will perform with strength long term.

The installation technique for this project turned out to be as innovative as the material itself. During the design process, the architect explored installation and setting material options. The architect was able to lay out the pattern around the window fenestration to avoid any waste. At nearly 3’ x 10’ in outer dimensions with only 3mm thickness, these porcelain tile panels provided an ideal surface solution. The installers achieved a very tight grout joint, making the product a winning and fitting solution in this emerging, contemporary neighborhood.

“Crossville provided detailed and comprehensive information at every turn. Each decision and proposal to the owner required quality answers in a timely fashion, and we were able to put the owner at ease with approving a new building product,” explained Janet Farren, the distributor’s architectural sales representative on the project.