TMC PULSE

9 T M C » P U L S E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 LINE FOR HOUSTON? body which have a deep impact on health and welfare and well-being," he said. Once the park is finished, the space will evolve and mature over time. "Biology informs what we do because it's a living system," the 57-year-old architect said. Whatever is built will continue living, he added, even the bacteria in the soil around the roots. Trifecta of health At a recent fundraising event in Houston, Corner told attendees that TMC 3 could be the "healthiest campus in the United States, if not a model for the world." The 30-acre campus will sit between South Braeswood Boulevard and Old Spanish Trail, on what is now a parking lot. Named to identify Houston as the "third coast" for life sciences, TMC 3 is a collaboration between five founding institutions: Texas Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Centrally-located Helix Park will help unite these different entities, bringing employees and the general public together in a dynamic community space. The base floor of the underlying structure will hold three plazas filled with trees and vegetation, along with commercial, retail and entertainment space. The second floor will contain shared labo- ratory space so that institutions can work together and alongside industry experts. Helix Park, the top floor, will soar 60 feet above ground and offer food gardens, children's education gardens, walking paths and running trails. "It's not exactly a running track, but it's an invi- tation to move quickly," Corner said. "To ride your bike, to run, to jog, to stroll. We also have seating along that path and a variety of fitness equipment. We have a series of healing gardens for therapeu- tic care and the introspection of being in a healing place, and we have gardens oriented around healthy food and healthy eating." The running trail winds up one strand of the helix that Sarah Weidner Astheimer, a principal at James Corner Field Operations, has christened Fitness Park—the "active, vibrant, fast" part of the rooftop. On the other side will be Social Gardens, a quieter area where people can meander and engage with nature more intimately, Weidner Astheimer said. "We really were looking at the trifecta of health—physical, mental, social," she said. "We wanted to provide a lot of variety of space types on site." Corner agreed, adding that the park will, hopefully, entice people to visit who aren't ordi- narily exposed to this sort of space. The rooftop will also sync with the façade of the neighbor- hood, he said, as some hospitals within the Texas Medical Center have their own medicinal and food gardens. "There's incredible contemporary research that shows the dramatic impact that nature and exposure to nature can have on longevity, on stress release, on productivity," Weidner Astheimer said. "The Texas Medical Center is innovative and it's really a leader—they're showing that by investing in their open space." Helix Park will also help bridge the bayou greenway systems, providing access points to nearby communities. That idea of connectivity— of "threading the centerpiece into a larger whole"—inspired Weidner Astheimer. "The Texas Medical Center is the eighth- largest business district in the country—that's incredible," she said. "But if you think about the physical space, does it feel urban? This project is really an urban project because of its open spaces and because of the way it's inviting the public and the community." Lessons from Discovery Green When architectural historian Stephen Fox learned that James Corner would be involved in TMC 3 , he was excited because he admired Corner's work. Fox said Corner "thinks boldly and unconven- tionally" and could "kind of do a High Line for the medical center." (continued) B y C h r i s t i n e H a l l Above and following pages: Renderings of TMC 3 's Helix Park, provided by James Corner Field Operations, include an aerial site plan, exercise areas, gardens and green space. TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER CAMBRIDGE ST FANNIN ST Brays Bayou MAIN ST HOLCOMBE BLVD TMC 3 OLD SPANISH TRAIL S BRAESWOOD BLVD

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