bachanon

U.S. grants Lexicon $1.9 million for antiterrorism research By: BURTON SPEAKMAN, Villager staff 01/05/2005 Lexicon Genetics Incorporated (Nasdaq: LEXG) was awarded a $1.9 million grant for the discovery of drug targets that could provide resistance to ricin poisoning from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases for a one-year initial term. "Lexicon's proprietary gene knockout technology, coupled with our comprehensive system for analyzing the physiological effects of genes in mammals, can provide the Army with important information in its effort to combat the harmful effects of bioterrorism and biological warfare agents," said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., company president and chief executive officer. According to the Centers for Disease Control, ricin is a water-soluble poison made from the waste produced during the processing of the castor bean and can be produced in pellet, powder or mist form. The goal of the program is to ultimately identify target agents and to develop protective drugs, Sands said. Lexicon will complete the testing for 250 genes within the term the grant. Genes will be tested to evaluate their potential to block the body's reaction to ricin, he said. This technology does not work in the same manner as current treatments for either diseases or poisons. Current treatments work to eliminate toxins or infections from the body, Sands said. Drugs developed through this gene therapy will keep the toxin or infection from reacting with the agent it uses to damage the body. "Any agent - whether it be a poison or a virus - must use an agent to interact with the body," he said. Currently it is unclear what kind of reaction ricin produces that infects the body. Another advantage to gene treatment is that toxins and diseases can mutate, making current treatments invalid, Sands said. This would not be the case for drugs that affect the target agent. "Genes within the human body don't mutate," he said. "This could be the beginning of a whole new class of therapy." "We believe the methods we will be using to find host factors for ricin resistance could have broader applications for other toxins or infectious agents," Sands said. This is one of the initial steps that could bring the new therapeutic treatments to wider use, he added. The grant from the U.S. Army is the first grant that Lexicon Genetics has ever received, Sands said. Burton Speakman may be reached at bspeakman@mail.hcnonline.net.

i hope you're right, gwilson. i'm anxious to drive by and see what you've seen. i think a "neo-prairie" style movement would be refreshing in the builder/developer community. in fact, i think it's way overdue. the increase in available home accessories and fixtures from the craftsman era are an example of the public's increasing interest in this type of design.

i don't remember the name of these trees, but i do know which trees you are referring too. these trees do lose their needles/foliage and appear to be dying; however, they will grow back. in fact, i think these trees were discussed in the old forum. maybe someone else will know a little more.

this building is atrocious. i hope the the actual structure looks better than the rendering.

amen!!

i would hate to lose jones hall; however, i wouldn't mind having a new structure specifically for the symphony. retrofitting jones hall for a new use, i'm all for.

welcome to the forum Flashman.

jones hall is a classic piece of modern architecture. i wonder if danes75 has been inside jones hall? i didn't appreciate jones hall until i had been inside several times. i was sitting upstairs at a cafe table up against a wall this past year (k.d.lang with the houston symphony). i've been in this area several times over the years but never noticed how the limestone wall panels extend out past the windows. it is kind of a frank lloyd wright experience. the definition of inside and out is subtly blurred where these tall "sliver" windows are placed. it was after seeing "stomp" one year that i began to realize the soft curved facade that provides wonderful flow for crowds leaving jones hall. the curved facade inside the square, block size portico is my favorite design feature. (i hope i'm getting my architectural terms correct.) when i was younger, i perceived this building as simply an off white square. it took several years for me to begin to appreciate it's nuances. however, i'm not fond of the long....long rows of seats, the size of the seats or the red carpet. always, always purchase box seats if you have the means.

i second that emotion!

houstonsemipro proves that getting in front of the camera and announcing other peoples ideas a la lee p. brown makes people believe that you did something great. lee brown obstructed the consensus of elected council members, hand-picked projects to toot his own horn, hand-picked contractors to boost his "support" and scoffed at common conventions of ethical behavior. believe what you will. ignorance is indeed bliss. all this aside, the buildings still are less than that that should represent houston.

light rail was a component of the main street project, not mayor brown's idea. the downtown renaissance was in it's infancy before mayor brown was elected. houston was coming back economically AND had a rainy day fund (thank you bob lanier) which brown's administration obliterated and then some. it's a stretch to say i'm "hatin", disappointed yes, not hateful. the recent story of mayor brown's former chief of staff is just the tip of the iceburg i'm afraid.

i too am a little disappointed with the design of this piece of architecture. if you've seen the new breed of courthouses/judicial centers going up around the world, then you'll agree that houston missed the mark with both of these buildings. city governments around the world are building justice centers with CUTTING EDGE, SUSTAINABLE, USER FRIENDLY architecture. mayor brown and his administrations were amazed with every proposal that came their way, they failed to be appropriately "critical" in areas of design and planning. yes, they facilitated many things; however, i don't believe that the "world view" of these last two administrations was much greater than their own careers and legacy, and don't mention the stadiums or the cotswald project, or the main street project. those ideas were born out of the consensus of houston businesses, developers and architects. the brown administrations simply put their stamp of approval on projects already in the works to garner as much credit for themselves as they could. (mayor brown's legacy will be corruption, greed and red ink.) this brings me back to an older thread........houston needs an objective design review committee for all major projects within the city limits.

has tilman fertitta purchased the flagship hotel with plans for a permanent mini carnival (trolley, rollercoaster, carousel) as an added feature yet? Landry's chief sets sail on host of new ventures Nancy Sarnoff Houston Business Journal Pinning down Tilman Fertitta these days is tricky. The head of Houston-based restaurant empire Landry's Restaurants Inc. has so many real estate projects in the works that when he's not out visiting one of the company's construction sites, he's in his private helicopter flying to one. Galveston is taking up much of the Island native's time lately. Last month, the city of Galveston accepted Fertitta's bid to buy the Flagship Hotel for $500,000. The bid required a $7.5 million letter of credit. Fertitta was the only bidder for the timeworn property, which sits on a pier over the Gulf of Mexico. Fertitta's plans for the project

Actually, these proposals are simply studies to conceptualize a greater urban fabric downtown. The architects used certain parts of downtown that are undeveloped as their canvas. It is unlikely that these specific proposals would come to fruition as planned.

ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center Project: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center, Houston Client ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Architect: PageSoutherlandPage Contractor: D.E. Harvey Consultants: Shen Milsom Wilke (av/acoustics); ASA Consulting Engineers (structrual); ARCADIS (civil); The Office of James Burnett (landscape); Sunland Engineering (traffic); HBC/Terracon (soils); Bridges International (roofing); Moisture Technology Corp. (curtain wall) Photographer: Tim Griffiths Floor Plan The design of the ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company Technical Training Center, completed in May 2004, blends the old with the new. The two-story 98,000-sf facility responds to the materials and horizontality of the existing Buffalo Speedway campus, but applies a new combination of forms and material relationships. The new building's design becomes more creative as it moves away from its junction with the 1950s-era McKie and Kamrath building, notable for its strips of brick, glass and shading devices. The new facility's facade steps toward the street in a series of layers composed of Central Texas limestone, glass, and brick. Another material - a canted curved metal panel - is introduced to represent ExxonMobil's innovative technology. The facility houses a grand lobby and gallery, classrooms of various sizes, two large areas for breakout sessions, as well as support and office spaces for training staff. The terrazzo floor in the lobby is an abstract pattern representing fluvial systems studied within the training center. Classrooms are equipped for the latest media, and a visualization classroom takes advantage of a large projection screen that can be configured in several ways, including as four sides of a cube. Parking for approximately 458 cars is provided adjacent to the training facility. The project distinguishes itself by covering a wide range of subject matter, from the tactile nature of oil field hardware and geologic material to the virtual world of computer models and simulations. All elements combine to create a training tool which will serve thousands of students annually from around the world who are involved in ExxonMobil's exploration, development, production, and research enterprises. --Courtney Mahaffey Link

Industrial Makeover by Stephen Jovicich, AIA The re-creation of the former Nabisco plant celebrates the structure

Envisioning a Livable City by Stephen Sharp The idea of living in downtown Houston is no longer a joke. In fact, the potential for residential development in the Central Business District has completely altered predictions for downtown over the next 20 years. The study by Powers Brown Architecture took three groupings of downtown land and investigated several models for configuration of high-density housing. The High-Rise, Mixed-Use Development (1) is centered around Main Street. The High-Rise, High-Density Development (2) is just west of the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Low-Rise, High-Density Development (3) is clustered on the south side of the Toyota Center. High-Rise, Mixed-Use High-Rise, High-Density This much is clear: the era of newer, taller office towers is over. The new vision for downtown foresees high-density pockets of high-rise and mid-rise housing developments occupied by 20,000 residents by 2025. The 2000 U.S. Census brought the future into focus. For the first time, as demonstrated by the latest federal statistics, the population inside Loop 610 grew at a higher percentage rate than the population outside the loop during the 1990s. Though surprising to many, those figures verified a trend that Houston's development community already was following. Release of the 2000 Census prompted the Houston Downtown Management District (better known as the Downtown District) to commission a survey in 2003 to update statistics from 1993 and 1998 on how Houstonians perceived the downtown area. The 2003 survey indicated that 16,400 housing units could be sold or leased in downtown and the area just to the south called Midtown. While that represented the potential for a significant upswing from the current population of 2,500 residents, the survey's findings also sent a clear message to stakeholders that the inner city was unprepared for what appeared to be Houston's next chapter. Despite the many recent improvements and additions to downtown - including the initial 7.5-mile line of a sleek light rail transit system, a $62 million streetscape project, a 40,000-seat baseball stadium, a 1,200-room convention center hotel, and a two-venue performing arts center - much more work remained before Houston's inner city could be truly livable. (Many of those projects, completed in the last two years, grew out of ideas that emerged a decade ago from the "Designing for Change" program that teamed AIA Houston with the Downtown District.) Houston's expected evolution would require infrastructure upgrades to handle high-density residential development, as well as quality-of-life enhancements such as parks, schools, retail, and services. And with the downtown's extremely limited stock of historic buildings already converted for residential use, the need for new residential buildings was obvious. To begin envisioning how residential development could fit into the existing urban matrix, the development community (under the auspices of Central Houston, a nonprofit coalition of businesses interested in maintaining a thriving downtown) put together six task forces and a steering committee to plot a course for the future. Guy Hagstette, AIA, an executive with Central Houston, coordinated the effort, which included the Urban Form and Urban Design Task Force. One of the members of that task force is Jeffrey Brown, AIA, a principal with Powers Brown Architecture. Brown's firm eventually was hired by Central Houston and three associated groups to undertake a series of studies to determine possible configurations for high-density, multi-structure residential developments in three areas within the CBD. Parameters varied widely for each of the three developments, but all shared some of the same requirements, such as access to public spaces, adequate parking, and proximity to mass transit. Of course, development costs would have to be minimized to ensure that those Houstonians who wanted to live downtown could afford the rent or the mortgage. As Hagstette said recently, "The challenge is getting the right product at the right price." The study by Powers Brown is divided into three residential developments, with each responding to unique sets of criteria. High-Rise, High-Density The study of the nine-block area west of the George R. Brown Convention Center explores different land uses, including how to incorporate an existing, privately owned greenspace located directly in front of the convention center. Brown's firm developed several potential configurations, with each preserving views west toward the center of downtown. This aspect of the project is anticipated to create 3,000 to 5,000 residential units (about 1,100 sf, with two bedrooms) in several high-rise buildings, perhaps some as tall as 40 stories. This segment of downtown is expected to be linked to other parts of downtown , as well as to the rest of the city, by a future light rail line. Low-Rise, High-Density Located south of the convention center and the Toyota Center basketball arena, the architects have amassed eight blocks on either side of Pease Street. The biggest challenge to residential developers is the relatively remote site, which is not included in any future plans for light rail. The low-rise structures would be limited a height of 75 feet, allowing for buildings as tall as eight floors. The number of potential residential units is 2,500 (also about 1,100 sf). High-Rise, Multi-Use The 12-blocks on either side of Main Street at the southern end of downtown is different in that it mixes residential with offices and other types of spaces. The proposed scheme includes three or four high-rise buildings along with other mid-rise structures. The total number of residential units is 3,500. The light rail link already is in place and the neighborhood is served by two existing Metro Light Rail stations. Rather than calling his firm's project a master plan, Brown prefers the term "a framework of development scenarios" to describe the study of aggregating blocks of private and public land into three distinct areas with specific uses. "For us the real issue became the ability of each pattern to stimulate or accommodate the variability of real market conditions," says Brown, underscoring that the study had less to do with aesthetics than efficient land us and incentives for development. The main consideration, he says, is the long-term economic viability of the future developments and the residual effects on downtown as an interconnected community. The overarching objective of the work of the six task forces, according to Hagstette, is to plan far enough ahead for Houston - with the fourth largest population in the U.S. - to remain competitive in the international marketplace. "For Houston as a whole it has to have an urban lifestyle to compete globally," Hagstette says. The new paradigm for all U.S. cities is urban residential, he says, and Houston has set its 2050 goal at 20,000 urban residents, which city leaders consider the necessary number to sustain retail and other downtown amenities. The work so far has produced critical results - light rail, a thriving theater district, two sports arenas, the convention center hotel - that allows Houston to take the next step forward. "The vision is more exciting than what we've already done, " Hagstette says. "Now we're creating a city." Focus on Quality of Life Creating a livable city involves more than developing residential blocks. The future inhabitants of downtown Houston will desire a quality of life much the same as their neighbors enjoy beyond Loop 610. Recent improvements and plans for more improvements in the near future to enhance to the downtown experience. Richardson Place A $62 million streetscape project in a 90-block area stretching across the north end of downtown was completed last year that altered sidewalks to make them more pedestrian friendly, as well as adding many new on-street parking spaces. The Cotswold Project, designed by Rey de la Reza Architects, also added numerous landscaping and public art features to the street scheme that extends from Buffalo Bayou to Minute Maid Park. With water as one of the project's themes, artists created 12 fountains--eight along Preston Avenue and four on Congress Street. Sidewalks were widened to make room for the fountains, with the largest measuring 14 feet tall. Another major improvement project is intended to make Buffalo Bayou into an urban amenity. In 2002, the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership produced a master plan for 10 miles of the neglected urban waterway that is hoped to help achieve that goal. The master plan envisions a mixed-use neighborhood at downtown's East End. Richardson Place (above) is planned to provide opportunities for varying densities of low-impact residential development flanking a wide, tree-lined pedestrian mall. Gable Street Landing Gable Street Landing is planned as a major new entertainment district center and northern terminus to the Crawford Street "Super Boulevard." The project provides an inviting link between Buffalo Bayou's waterfront and the district around the George R. Brown Convention Center. Another downtown project is the North Canal, which will be designed to accommodate caf

http://www.conroeisd.net/images/school/14.jpg Main Entrance: State HWY 242 and Honor Roll Drive http://www.conroeisd.net/images/school/cphs/newhs_site.jpg Site Plan The campus is scheduled to open in the fall of 2005. The campus is located west of I-45 and east of Gosling on the south side of SH242. The new Woodlands high school will have a capacity of roughly 2400 students. The school will open with grades 9-11. The campus will have 62 regular classrooms, 15 science rooms, 7 computer labs, 3 art rooms, 1 library, 1 band hall, 1 orchestra hall, 1 choir room, and 1 black box (drama) classroom. In addition, there will be two gyms, an auditorium, agriculture shop classrooms, a sub-varsity stadium/track, and an administration area. http://www.conroe.isd.tenet.edu/schools/newhs_cafeteria.jpg Rendering of Cafeteria http://www.conroe.isd.tenet.edu/schools/newhs_mainstreet.jpg Rendering of "Main Street" Monday and Tuesday night this past week, CISD held a parent meeting on the progress of College Park HS. The renderings pale in comparison to the current construction photos shown this week.

thanks pineda, i enjoyed the links. b.

Dec. 1, 2004, 7:45PM Woodlands considers pavilion for Town Center Facility would serve as site for ice rink, public events By BETH KUHLES Chronicle Correspondent PROPOSED PAVILION

Vaughn Construction to build TWU urban campus Mary Ann Azevedo Houston Business Journal Texas Woman's University has awarded a $27.7 million contract to Houston-based Vaughn Construction to build the university's new urban campus in the Texas Medical Center. The new campus will more than double the educational institution's Houston enrollment to 3,000 students. Construction is set to begin early next year. In preparation for the move, TWU participated in a land swap with The Methodist Hospital for the new site. The deal called for TWU, which has a primary campus in Denton, to build a new local campus on land previously owned by Methodist. In exchange, Methodist will build a patient tower on the soon-to-be abandoned TWU Houston campus as part of its own multimillion-dollar expansion in the medical center. The new 10-story, 202,000-square-foot TWU campus will include seminar rooms designed for traditional instruction, conferences, video conferencing and distance learning. Classrooms will be located on every academic floor of the building, which also will include several 120-seat lecture halls and a 250-seat auditorium. TWU established a Houston campus in 1960 by expanding its nursing program to the Texas Medical Center. Today, the campus serves almost 1,200 students majoring in nursing, physical therapy, library science, health care administration, occupational therapy and nutrition. TWU has the largest nursing program in Texas, with more than 2,200 nursing students, and produces more new nurses than any other program in the state. A nursing college will serve as the centerpiece of the new TWU Houston campus. TWU recently received a $3 million grant from the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation for the nursing center.

only in houston. it does add an interesting dimension to the growing list of downtown "residents".

thanks, dbigtex, for the insider. this certainly helps soften the blow. i'm all for new and better (errr, sustainable) architecture. at the same time, i adore the exterior of this building.

i drove past this building on sunday. my heart sank when i realized it is going to be gone soon. what a waste.

perhaps it's such a "sure" financial loss that a company who needs more losses for tax purposes can stand to use the vacancies in houston to their advantage in the mean time, yet, get their brand in houston (while interest rates are low) until things turn up as they are expected to. businesses aren't always opened for immediate profit.