txtiger

It appears HMNS' previous, wildly-popular exhibit, "Death by Natural Causes," is returning this July -   See the updated Online Visitor's Guide:

visit_online_visitor_guide.pdf (hmns.org)

While Google maps is yet to catch up, Bing maps shows the new Commons in-progress...  (Attached image a screenshot from the latter.)

New, expansive construction walls are up for the forthcoming "Jack's Cafe" at Houston Zoo. 

A look at the current work on-site:
 

Yep, surely enough... They should probably just throw out the 3/21 event.

(I can't make the 8th, unfortunately, and since the hall will already be open, I probably won't bother with the 3/21 time.)

3 hours ago, BeerNut said:

Membership preview for Matter and Motion is March 8th.

(Advertised event - for which I've had tickets - seems to remain posted online as being 3/21...?)

Link here:
Events - HMNS

Key dates for The Commons were recently e-mailed-out.  

(Attached image not a replicable invitation.)

Zoo map has been updated to note '2025' as opening year for 'Jack's Cafe' -  (used to say 'Future site of Jack's Cafe.')

Gate Map 2024.02_Web_English (pcdn.co)

Some current photos of the forthcoming, new Matter and Motion (Hall of Chemistry and Physics), apparently opening in March, at HMNS:

(Photos and opening outlook courtesy of a post by PBExhibits, on their Facebook page.)

In case you've missed it: 

A fairly spectacular new theme park opens next year, there in central Florida:
 

Construction forum:
Universal Epic Universe construction updates (themeparx.com)

Main site:
Universal Epic Universe | Universal Orlando Resort

Something like this:

 

Just now opening up in Kansas City:

Pennway Point | Pennway | 2500 West Pennway Street, Kansas City, MO, USA

^Something like this, at the end of Avenida, is what I'd hoped for, for the Minute Maid mixed-use site.  Fam. Ly. Attraction(s).

See also/again St. Louis' Union Station:

St. Louis Union Station | St. Louis, MO (stlouisunionstation.com)


For adjacent to Minute Maid, however, I'd instead employ an R80XL (by Bussink/Chance), however to up the game to match New York City's/Munich's wheel, and get ours centered at an angle on the Avenida sight line:

R80XL — BUSSINK®

^AstroWheel?

....  Was hoping this development would've ended up being a more baseball-oriented version of St. Louis' Union Station:

St. Louis Union Station | St. Louis, MO (stlouisunionstation.com)

Downtown still needs more attractions for families.

The rocket slide feature, as seen from what I guess I’ll call the “goose trails” - 

The limestone, water-side seating areas are looking good, otherwise.

Went looking for any updates on the forthcoming Hall of Matter and Motion, and found this page over at PBE:

Matter & Motion Chemistry Hall — PBExhibits

^Page seems to include several images of exhibits already in-place, there at HMNS.

The 2022 'TEA Theme Index' from AECOM is available for referencing.  HMNS holding at no. 11 amongst US-wide museum attendance.

AECOM - TEA Theme Index 2022.1 (1).pdf(Review) - Adobe cloud storage

Additional link, here, if that above doesn't work:

Events & News - Themed Entertainment Association (teaconnect.org)

8 hours ago, hindesky said:

Demo permit.

(Pin drop ended up on the Carousel building.  Actual site for 'Birds of the World' is back up between 'South America's Pantanal's' aviaries and the backside of 'Galapagos Islands.'  The online Zoo map has been updated to reflect forthcoming 'Birds of the World' and even 'Jack's Cafe' -  GateMap2023.4_Englishweb (pcdn.co)  )

(See the series of photos at the bottom of page 6, here, for a rendering of the parking garage, which was shown during an AIA Continuing Education event.)

The garage consolidates employee offices and employee parking, and I believe also upgrades facilities for staff who will be on-site to weather future storms. 

Hopefully the garage allows the zoo to replace the smattering of trailers and building structures currently being occupied by employees, and use that space for a future exhibit.  This, unfortunately, wasn't verified as part of the presentation and tour at that time.

Still kinda wish this mixed use would be something akin to St. Louis' Union Station development, to get family attractions sandwiched between Conventions and Baseball:  St. Louis Union Station | St. Louis, MO (stlouisunionstation.com)

I'd center an R80XL-27 cabin on Avenida de las Americas, but skewed north/south, and build down and/or around that. ( R80XL — BUSSINK® ).  Let's get some additional year-round kinetics down that way, so supplement with what Discovery Green already helps.

Sounds like the Zoo is jumping straight into construction of the "Birds of the World" exhibit, which will sit between "Galapagos" and "South America's Pantanal" :  How the Houston Zoo moved a flock of flamingos to a new home (chron.com)

Once "Galapagos" is open next month, Jack's Cafe and event space should also begin construction in the location of the sea lion's longtime, current pool.

Here again is what's On the Boards:  ON THE BOARDS — SH|R Studios (shrstudios.com)

I live right in the area:  Ivy Lofts seems to've completely stalled-out, w/ just first-level concrete columns stubbed-up.  Haven't seen any progress in at least a month.

Also maddening:  Reference to NewQuest's adjacent, proposed Pearland Development has also completely disappeared from both their website and www.lowerkirby.com .   Old .pdf can be found via a direct Google search, but this is no longer linked to NewQuest's site:   Pearland_Development.pdf (newquest.com)

So, no idea what's going on...  Kinda wish this entire plot of land would go the direction of Epic Central up in Grand Prairie:  Home - EpicCentral

Scroll to 38:15 for an audio interview w/ Lee Ehmke re: the new Galapagos Islands exhibit:

Experiencing the Galapagos Islands with Tui de Roy and Lee Ehmke - Wild World with Scott Solomon (captivate.fm)

I bumped my own photos by a follow-up post...  

See the bottom of page 6 for a bunch of current renderings of the Zoo's new, consolidated Office building, the upcoming Jack's Cafe and Event space, and the forthcoming 'Birds of the World' exhibit (post-'Galapagos' exhibit).

The Zoo was not all that spectacular until the opening of the African Forest exhibit, around 2015.  That particular development of property was the most initially monumental, and really kicked things off.  Improvements to the Elephant yards, the Bug House came after that, and now these additional big, themed experiences.  Just for fun, see here the original promo for that, from years ago: