TMC Helix Park: Texas Medical Center Bio Research Campus

[BeerNut]

@102IAHexpressSmithville Research Park is relocating to TMC3.  I'm not sure how much impact this will have. 

[102IAHexpress]

9 minutes ago, BeerNut said:

@102IAHexpressSmithville Research Park is relocating to TMC3.  I'm not sure how much impact this will have. 

 

That's true. I'm also not sure about the impact, but probably can't hurt? But keep in mind Smithville is part of the MD Anderson system (I believe?) and it's just consolidating into the new facility. It's not really a true lateral move from an outside lab/professor. 

[Twinsanity02]

I worked as a biomedical researcher for several years at UT Med- Houston. There are zillions of research labs spread out throughout  the TMC. I am somewhat confused about how this one will be set up.  Are there going to be a smattering of labs from UT Med, MD Anderson, Baylor Med, the Institute for Molecular Med, Texas A&M etc etc? 

 

I suppose the research will be focused on specific areas. Anyone know?

[102IAHexpress]

6 minutes ago, Twinsanity02 said:

I worked as a biomedical researcher for several years at UT Med- Houston. There are zillions of research labs spread out throughout  the TMC. I am somewhat confused about how this one will be set up.  Are there going to be a smattering of labs from UT Med, MD Anderson, Baylor Med, the Institute for Molecular Med, Texas A&M etc etc? 

 

I suppose the research will be focused on specific areas. Anyone know?

 

Cool, my wife is also in biomedical! I have no idea how it will be setup, very good question.

 

I dare to say, although the design is very cool, it may be a design in search of a problem. My wife collaborates with labs all across the world, all the time. She did it a lot too, when she was at Methodist. She just picks up the phone or uses skype to move along the collaboration. Sometimes if there is very, very famous professor (literally a Nobel Laureate) that professor may have an "entourage" of post-docs and assistant professors that help coordinate things, and at -that- level it may help to meet those teams in person. But most collaborations can be achieved with technology. 

[blackjacks100]

6 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

I worked as a biomedical researcher for several years at UT Med- Houston. There are zillions of research labs spread out throughout  the TMC. I am somewhat confused about how this one will be set up.  Are there going to be a smattering of labs from UT Med, MD Anderson, Baylor Med, the Institute for Molecular Med, Texas A&M etc etc? 

 

I suppose the research will be focused on specific areas. Anyone know?

McKeon (TMC CEO) mentioned that these research buildings on the outside of the helix could house partnerships with industry. Like, for example, if Novartis partnered with MDA, it could be housed in MDA’s research building.

 

TMC3 is supposed to be a catalyst for letting the biotech/pharma industry into the TMC. I think, someone correct me if I’m wrong, there’s a clause or something within the TMC’s founding document that doesn’t allow industry/for-profit institutions on TMC land. 

[102IAHexpress]

 

Kind of off topic, but there is a brilliant/scathing essay in the WSJ today written by Professor Azra Raza of Columbia Med. School, very critical of America's (TMC's) current approach to cancer research.

 

Quote

What we need now is a paradigm shift. Today, the newest methods generating the most research and expense tend to be focused on treating the worst cases—chasing after the last cancer cells in end-stage patients whose prognoses are the worst. …

 

So what is the solution?

For one thing, all of us in the biomedical sciences need to descend from our high horse and humbly admit where we have been wrong. We have sought to model cancer in petri dishes and mice, seeking out single drugs for simple genetic mutations. But cancer is far too complex a problem to be solved with such reductionism. We have not made much progress in the past 50 years and won’t advance much more in another 50 if we insist on the same-old same-old.

 

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cancer-is-still-beating-uswe-need-a-new-start-11570206319

[Urbannizer]

Recent podcast regarding TMC|3

 

https://www.buildcentral.com/exploring-tmc3-billion-dollar-medical-research-campus-podcast/

[CaptainJilliams]

1 hour ago, Urbannizer said:

Recent podcast regarding TMC|3

 

https://www.buildcentral.com/exploring-tmc3-billion-dollar-medical-research-campus-podcast/

 

Man, they keep teasing us with the old renderings of the double-helix shaped building. I know they are more readily available, but every time I see them it gives me false hope.

[j_cuevas713]

6 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

 

Man, they keep teasing us with the old renderings of the double-helix shaped building. I know they are more readily available, but every time I see them it gives me false hope.

False hope about what? They wouldn’t be showing anything if they weren’t planning on building it. That’s the main focal point of the development. 

[CaptainJilliams]

8 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

False hope about what? They wouldn’t be showing anything if they weren’t planning on building it. That’s the main focal point of the development. 

 

But I thought it was fairly certain that they had done away with the helix building design and were only going to make a ground level park in the shape of a double helix.

 

If I'm wrong, then great, I would prefer the original design. But until someone can confirm that, I wish they would stop using old renderings.

[X.R.]

4 hours ago, CaptainJilliams said:

 

But I thought it was fairly certain that they had done away with the helix building design and were only going to make a ground level park in the shape of a double helix.

 

If I'm wrong, then great, I would prefer the original design. But until someone can confirm that, I wish they would stop using old renderings.

 

On the looped-in pod he said they moved away from the elevated park design because it wasn't quite as open as they would have liked. The TMC president kept saying it had a stadium-feel. He stated, and its confirmed on the linked pod, that it will be a flatter park/promenade/walking area for people to utilize on breaks, before work, during work, whenever. On the looped-in pod he mentioned that he'd want people people to "collide" while utilizing the space, whether its yoga, morning runs, etc, so I'm assuming there will be programming for that space. Those are the actual renderings from the current designer.

 

As to the parking, I don't know where that came from. On the looped-in pod, and the linked pod reconfirmed, he stated no cars will be able to go through the campus, other than the designed pathways to be used for deliveries. This construction pod mentioned GFR, food halls, and bike pathways?!? HAIF dreams do come true!

[Luminare]

9 hours ago, X.R. said:

 

On the looped-in pod he said they moved away from the elevated park design because it wasn't quite as open as they would have liked. The TMC president kept saying it had a stadium-feel. He stated, and its confirmed on the linked pod, that it will be a flatter park/promenade/walking area for people to utilize on breaks, before work, during work, whenever. On the looped-in pod he mentioned that he'd want people people to "collide" while utilizing the space, whether its yoga, morning runs, etc, so I'm assuming there will be programming for that space. Those are the actual renderings from the current designer.

 

As to the parking, I don't know where that came from. On the looped-in pod, and the linked pod reconfirmed, he stated no cars will be able to go through the campus, other than the designed pathways to be used for deliveries. This construction pod mentioned GFR, food halls, and bike pathways?!? HAIF dreams do come true!

 

I'd imagine they will take cues from recent big tech projects that incorporate a lot of green space like Norman Fosters new Apple HQ or BIG's Google HQ. Could be a very compelling space if done right and with it being framed by the buildings around it I would imagine it will be real draw, and such a stark contrast to TMC proper which is this incredibly dense hunk of buildings.

[Houston19514]

On 10/25/2019 at 7:00 AM, CaptainJilliams said:

 

But I thought it was fairly certain that they had done away with the helix building design and were only going to make a ground level park in the shape of a double helix.

 

If I'm wrong, then great, I would prefer the original design. But until someone can confirm that, I wish they would stop using old renderings.

 

Yes, they moved away from the double helix building design some time ago.   If "they" is referring to the Texas Medical Center, I am pretty sure "they" have stopped using the old renderings.  The podcast and renderings that triggered this conversation were not published by the TMC, but were on the website of BuildCentral.  BuildCentral is in Chicago and develops and markets innovative database products that help suppliers and vendors find new opportunities and customers. Our focused markets include construction, medical, hospitality, and multi-family.

[Twinsanity02]

The TMC website depicts a 'double helix" of sorts ( not to be too pedantic, but it is lacking all the Nitrogenous bases having only the sugar phosphate backbone). Okay that was pedantic, nevertheless there is a sort of double helix depicted. So what is this about no double helix?

[Houston19514]

48 minutes ago, Twinsanity02 said:

The TMC website depicts a 'double helix" of sorts ( not to be too pedantic, but it is lacking all the Nitrogenous bases having only the sugar phosphate backbone). Okay that was pedantic, nevertheless there is a sort of double helix depicted. So what is this about no double helix?

 

There is no double helix building as was originally envisioned.  The new/current double helix plan is park/open space.

[102IAHexpress]

On 10/25/2019 at 12:05 PM, X.R. said:

 On the looped-in pod he mentioned that he'd want people people to "collide" while utilizing the space, whether its yoga, morning runs, etc, so I'm assuming there will be programming for that space. Those are the actual renderings from the current designer.

 

 

Great idea on paper. In reality I wonder if anyone over there has talked to an actual bio-medical researcher. "Yoga, morning runs?" I'm just not seeing it. These scientists are not soccer moms. They are usually pretty introverted. For the most part very, very few Americans. Mostly foreigners on visa. Typically they are focused on their pipetting and not much else. 

 

I could see TMC staff/non scientists and Americans who live near by use the space to "collide." But I would imagine that they are not the target users of this space? 

[Highrise Tower]

Hotel looks really tall. I’m at a party but I’ll post an image when I get home.

[Highrise Tower]

The master plan changed, again.  First look at a residential tower. 40 stories next to the TMC:Hotel? I also see a skybridge to the McNair campus.

 

This is from today's State of Texas Medical Center 2019.

https://www.tmc.edu/news/2019/10/texas-medical-center-ceo-outlines-the-future-of-the-medical-city/

 

 

 

[TheSirDingle]

Good work @ekdrm2d1, you're one of the best. Also that tower looks absolutely massive, can't wait to see a closer rendering. Wonder if we're nearing the final design by any chance?

[CaptainJilliams]

Okay, I might still prefer the previous design of the building, but the new tower looks great and makes up for the double helix change in my mind!

[Luminare]

Actually a pretty big update as far as visuals go. Would certainly like to see more ground level images, but its clear upon closer examination that they have been doing a lot of meet ups with the various institutions involved. Whats nice is that this won't be cookie cutter buildings, but dedicated buildings designed specifically for each institution. The res highrise is a pleasant surprise. Thanks @ekdrm2d1 for the update.

[thatguysly]

I am ready for this one to start. Feels like it been in planning stages for a long time. But it is a massive development with dozens of partners so I get the delays.

[H-Town Man]

Seems odd to put a residential highrise in a research center.

 

[Texasota]

by "odd" do you mean "very convenient for the people doing research who can afford to live in said highrise"?

[bobruss]

Or maybe doctors who work in the med center or long term patients who like their families to be close, while investing in Houston real estate in the med center.

[H-Town Man]

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

by "odd" do you mean "very convenient for the people doing research who can afford to live in said highrise"?

 

18 minutes ago, bobruss said:

Or maybe doctors who work in the med center or long term patients who like their families to be close, while investing in Houston real estate in the med center.

 

Well, you can find convenient real estate right across the street. And most people doing research cannot afford highrise apartments. Doctors and long term patients will more likely be affiliated with the (original) medical center, not TMC3, which as I understand it is more of a biomed research park. If the goal of the park is to attract research institutions who want to work collaboratively with other research institutions, why take up space with apartments that can go right outside the research park?

 

I'm trying to think of other research centers/parks that have highrise residential in the middle. I'm sure there's a good reason they're doing this, just trying to understand what it is.

 

[102IAHexpress]

I agree it is very odd. This is becoming a taxpayer boondoggle. Not sure who will afford to live there, but it's not post-doc/scientists. I know this HAIF, but let me bring it back down to reality. Here are the NIH post doc salary limits for 2019. https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/salary-cap-and-stipend-levels-announced

Here are the HISD salary limits for teachers in 2019. https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/16074/salary schedules/2019-2020 salary schedules/2019-2020 Initial Compensation Placement Tables.pdf

Yes, you read that right, teachers earn more than the vast majority of post docs and scientists.

So, again, who is this TMC3 project for? Who benefits from this tax payer funded project? 

[Naviguessor]

Tax Payer Funded? 

[Texasota]

If they made the decision to provide intentionally subsidized housing for postdocs, that would be amazing. Not saying that's what they're doing, but it would be a great idea.

[102IAHexpress]

12 minutes ago, Naviguessor said:

Tax Payer Funded? 

 

TMC3 is comprised of Texas A&M University Health Science Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center which are all still public institutions funded courtesy of the Texas Taxpayer as far as I can remember. Baylor College of Medicine is private. The TMC is a special non-profit district funded via public and private dollars. So yes, TMC3 is tax payer funded.