Mikyoung Kim Studio - TMC Helix Park

TMC Helix Park

Houston, TX

Parks

emotion neurodiversity research

TMC Helix Park, located in downtown Houston on 14.5 acres, transforms a series of impervious parking lots into a vibrant green oasis for the neighborhood, featuring cooling fountains and a biodiverse landscape focused on health and wellness. The park seamlessly blends programmed events with areas for passive recreation and quiet contemplation. Over 650 trees and heat-reflecting multi-mobility pathways create a cooling and biodiverse environment. Situated on a floodplain along Brays Bayou, the park is designed to manage a 200-year storm by elevating the site six feet above the floodplain with a ground plane that acts as a sitewide sponge that absorbs flash flooding across the district. The park celebrates water through waterfall benches and a series of streams that meander through the park, offering an engaging and sustainable environment for visitors.

Awards

News

Fast Company: “How a Massive Parking Lot…was Transformed…”
Community Impact: “Texas Medical Center Opens TMC3 Collaborative…”
Houston Business Journal: “The TMC Helix Park Vision…”
Core77: “One Spark can Change Perspective”

Client : Texas Medical Center

Architect : Elkus Manfredi

Photo : Robert Benson, Luis Ayala

The Helix Park celebrates both human and ecological resilience. The park seamlessly integrates stormwater management of flash flooding with urban groves and a living soil profile, creating a green sponge infrastructure system capable of retaining up to 3.2 million gallons of stormwater.

As the first phase of a larger 42-acre master plan, TMC Helix Park redefines urban resilience in the majority-minority city of Houston, Texas. Designed as a living sponge, the park filters and repurposes rainwater, enhancing the entire watershed and supporting the city's preparation for a 500-year storm.