Houston’s Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world, and this new 42-acre translational research campus envisioned from the south of Brays Bayou represents a groundbreaking approach to resiliency and sustainability in the region. Given that flooding from the concretized bayou poses a significant threat to the site, the plan integrates a holistic strategy to mitigate flash flooding from major storm events for a more resilient strategy. Developed with Elkus Manfredi, a significant investments in the public realm creates a welcoming mixed-use urban district, organized around a green necklace that connects the Bayou to Old Spanish Trail. This comprehensive strategy involves sustainable construction practices and elevating the entire 42-acre site to enhance its capacity to manage storms and maintain resiliency across the district.

Previously home to surface parking lots, the site lies within a 500-year floodplain. The planned area raises the ground plane of the site by as much as 8 feet. Supported by a a multifaceted stormwater strategy that includes subterranean cisterns, a soil profile that holds stormwater like a sponge, and over 400 new trees that absorb approximately 2.3 million gallons of rainwater, which are stored and filtered for reuse and controlled release. The helix gardens will extend the area’s green network into the site, enhancing thermal comfort throughout. Ground-floor activities from restaurants, shops, and the Collaborative Building’s central atrium will spill out into the helix garden and surrounding “Complete Streets,” weaving together this new community.

Awards

• MUSE Design Awards
• Natural Stone Institute
• Rethinking the Future
• Architecture Collection
• The PLAN
• Core77