TMC Helix Park: Texas Medical Center Bio Research Campus

[004n063]

I still don't know what ARPA-H is or why it matters and at this point I'm afraid to ask.

I will say that the bike path along Staffordshire Blvd is weirdly..."hilly"? 

First world problems, man

[BEES?!]

@__nevii I absolutely agree with you! The Houston area’s natural environments and really cool wildlife (and the neat ecoregions we have) are really what kickstarted younger me into appreciating it here much more than before. (especially gardening!! I really never appreciated how great it is to be able to garden year-round)

I think we are really a hidden gem of a city- on the surface, we’re very nondescript and pretty understated, and IMO Houston doesn’t exactly do a great job advertising itself, so I think a lot of people miss out on the great things we have to offer. But you just have to be a self-starter and scratch the surface yourself to see the cool things lurking underneath. I think our worst critics are ourselves, haha!

I try to be positive, because sometimes it seems like even our own local media won’t toot our horn at all- ever- even if we do something cool. 😅 

sorry to continue the derailment. Back to Helix Park!

[Triton]

This building is striking in person

[__nevii]

23 hours ago, steve1363 said:

It would appear that the Dallas hub cannot be successful without participation from Houston’s TMC so that collaboration will be interesting to observe over the coming months.

 

21 hours ago, 004n063 said:

I still don't know what ARPA-H is or why it matters and at this point I'm afraid to ask.

The ARPA-H is a research funding agency within the National Institute of Health that supports biotech/healthcare breakthroughs. Since 2022, they announced expansions into different areas of the country, with places from Philly to North Carolina all competing for bids.

In the end, the three hubs selected included Dallas — this shocked a lot of people here, given the presence of TMC/related buildouts in Houston.

But, closer look at the three hubs reveals that the main HQ is going somewhere to DC area, the investers catalyst/innovation is going to Boston. Then Dallas gets whatever the "customer experience hub" entails (seems to be related to clinical trail delivery):

Quote

The three hubs of ARPANET-H will lead specific focus areas, including streamlining customer experiences, catalyzing investors, and developing stakeholder and operations efforts.

The Customer Experience hub will focus on developing health solutions that will be accessible, needed, and readily adopted. It will take a proactive approach to diversify clinical trials, reach representative patient populations, and more leading to better and more equitable health outcomes for all. This hub’s physical location will be located in Dallas, Texas.

The Investor Catalyst hub will focus on speeding the transition of innovative ideas into practical, accessible solutions that deliver for Americans by engaging with researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors. This hub’s physical will be located in Cambridge, Mass., in the greater Boston area.

The Stakeholder and Operations hub will be adjacent to many intergovernmental partners and stakeholders. Following a competitive review, ARPA-H will select the final site located in the National Capital Region, using federal leasing and acquisition procedures. The announcement is anticipated later in 2023.

In that respect, I don't exactly see any conflict w/ what places like MD Anderson and UTHealth already do w/respect to clinical trials. And considering that TMC3's inclusion of a startup/investment engine, the Boston model is on approach as well.

Edited October 1, 2023 by __nevii

[CREguy13]

Yeah, after reflecting on this more and reading into what the Dallas hub may actually end up being and it not being remotely what DC/Cambridge are landing, I am happily eating my words. All the recent groundbreakings at Baylor, MD Anderson, UT Health, and the announcements like Portal Innovations and more players continuing to come to town because of the opportunity they see to invest in companies here are much more important than a customer experience hub. Our tailwinds in Life Sciences, Medical Device, etc. exceed the other Texas cities.  Two things I'm very excited about:

1) Historically the energy riches made in boom cycles flow into our hospitals/TMC and that is clearly happening now with the future looking real bright in Energy. Houston thinks big on these types of projects, and we're the best in the world at large scale project management.  Is TMC Bioport the next big project the donor community fundraises around/gets behind as Helix Park blossoms on its own and begins to mature? Does a new visionary idea come out of nowhere and we seize that?

2) Very recently I've heard from different people in or connected to the Boston life science ecosystem that there is a consistent and growing buzz about Houston in their circles.

 

Optically, the ARPA-H would have been great recognition and it will certainly benefit Dallas in certain areas in the medical/life science world that may not yet be known. But my money will always be on Houston.

[hbg.50]

I’m still baffled how this played out.  TMC folded early.  M.D. Anderson helped the consortium as well.  Perhaps there is a larger plan in play?  One can only hope.

“Bill McKeon, president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, said Houston looks forward to supporting Dallas and the agency in its goals.

“It is an incredible validation of the important role that Texas plays as a leader in innovation, life sciences and the future of medicine that Dallas was selected as an ARPA-H consumer hub,” McKeon said.”

[__nevii]

49 minutes ago, steve1363 said:

I’m still baffled how this played out.  TMC folded early.  M.D. Anderson helped the consortium as well.  Perhaps there is a larger plan in play?  One can only hope.

“Bill McKeon, president and CEO of Texas Medical Center, said Houston looks forward to supporting Dallas and the agency in its goals.

“It is an incredible validation of the important role that Texas plays as a leader in innovation, life sciences and the future of medicine that Dallas was selected as an ARPA-H consumer hub,” McKeon said.”

I agree, the way this is all playing out is pretty off.

Edited October 1, 2023 by __nevii

[Highrise Tower]

This week's visit to TMCHP.

According to the Greater Houston Partnership, the Grand Opening of TMC Helix Park is Thursday, October 26, 2023.

https://www.houston.org/events/state-texas-medical-center

Collaborative Building:

Site Details:

Parcel E, future surface lot?

Helix Park, Section 1; the MD Anderson skybridge will be apart of this parcel?

Dynamic Two:

Parcel A:

Helix Park, section 3:

Helix Park, section 4:

Dynamic One:

Parking facility:

[j_cuevas713]

This is remarkable. It's almost like they're building a Houston we've all dreamed about .

Edited October 3, 2023 by j_cuevas713

[Brooklyn173]

9 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

This is remarkable. It's almost like they're building a Houston we've all dreamed about .

But still a completely auto dependent development.

[Texasota]

I don't think that's fair. The garages might be excessive, but this is pretty accessible by bike and transit. 

[Highrise Tower]

My stop at TMCHP this week.

Work continues for the Helix Park, Section 1:

TMC3 Collaborative Building:

TMC3CB, Photo of the week no. 2

Parcel E appears to have an outline within the parcel.  Is there something going up here?

Dynamic Two:

Dynamic One, Photo of the week!

Parcel A:

Helix Park, section 4:

Parking facility:

[004n063]

On 10/4/2023 at 9:49 AM, Texasota said:

I don't think that's fair. The garages might be excessive, but this is pretty accessible by bike and transit. 

I think the fairness will depend a lot on the final touches vis-a-vis pedestrian and bike access. Will they follow through with the Brays trail connection? The pedestrian bridge to the UT School of Public Health on Pressler St.? Will any effort be made to provide a southern connection to the bike path on Almeda?

The campus itself has nice pedestrian and bike accessibility, and it has proximity to transit and the bike network. But right now those connections are longer, more convoluted, more dangerous, and more unpleasant than they need to be.

[Houston19514]

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

I think the fairness will depend a lot on the final touches vis-a-vis pedestrian and bike access. Will they follow through with the Brays trail connection? The pedestrian bridge to the UT School of Public Health on Pressler St.? Will any effort be made to provide a southern connection to the bike path on Almeda?

The campus itself has nice pedestrian and bike accessibility, and it has proximity to transit and the bike network. But right now those connections are longer, more convoluted, more dangerous, and more unpleasant than they need to be.

A pedestrian bridge from Helix Park to the UT School of Public Health on Pressler St?   Why? How?

[004n063]

7 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

A pedestrian bridge from Helix Park to the UT School of Public Health on Pressler St?   Why? How?

Saw it on one of the promotional materials. Why? Needs a better way to connect to the TMCTC red line stop. How? Above (my pay grade).

 

Here's an example of a promotional image that suggests such a bridge:

 

[Houston19514]

15 hours ago, 004n063 said:

Saw it on one of the promotional materials. Why? Needs a better way to connect to the TMCTC red line stop. How? Above (my pay grade).

 

Here's an example of a promotional image that suggests such a bridge:the 

A pedestrian bridge across the bayou might be good (or it might be better to add better pedestrian accommodations on the existing Fannin, Braeswood and Berliner bridges), to get from Helix Park to the main campus of TMC. But if the goal is to get to the TMC TC, it would be better to just make sure we have good sidewalk infrastructure along S Braeswood and Fannin, the shortest, most direct rout to the TMC TC. (Sidewalks currently exist, but they could use improvement, especially on the Fannin St bridge.)

FWIW, that conceptual rendering does not show a pedestrian bridge to the UT School of Public Health. It appears to suggest a pedestrian bridge over the bayou and then between two large sets of cooling towers (is that even feasible? I would guess not - it looks like there's only maybe 15 feet between them), and then perhaps connecting to MD Anderson's skywalk, which does not connect to the UT School of Public Health and would be a round-about way to get to the TMC TC. 

[bobruss]

Sure it sho

46 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

A pedestrian bridge across the bayou might be good (or it might be better to add better pedestrian accommodations on the existing Fannin, Braeswood and Berliner bridges), to get from Helix Park to the main campus of TMC. But if the goal is to get to the TMC TC, it would be better to just make sure we have good sidewalk infrastructure along S Braeswood and Fannin, the shortest, most direct rout to the TMC TC. (Sidewalks currently exist, but they could use improvement, especially on the Fannin St bridge.)

FWIW, that conceptual rendering does not show a pedestrian bridge to the UT School of Public Health. It appears to suggest a pedestrian bridge over the bayou and then between two large sets of cooling towers (is that even feasible? I would guess not - it looks like there's only maybe 15 feet between them), and then perhaps connecting to MD Anderson's skywalk, which does not connect to the UT School of Public Health and would be a round-about way to get to the TMC TC. 

The rendering does show a bridge which would cross OST which is a very busy street. It's in the bottom of the rendering. It would also tie the dental school, MD Anderson cancer treatment centers along with the UT Health Science center to the Helix. You can see the bridge in the bottom of the screen crossing OST.

[Houston19514]

21 minutes ago, bobruss said:

Sure it sho

The rendering does show a bridge which would cross OST which is a very busy street. It's in the bottom of the rendering. It would also tie the dental school, MD Anderson cancer treatment centers along with the UT Health Science center to the Helix. You can see the bridge in the bottom of the screen crossing OST.

Yes, it does.  We were discussing the north end, but thank you.

[004n063]

7 hours ago, Houston19514 said:

A pedestrian bridge across the bayou might be good (or it might be better to add better pedestrian accommodations on the existing Fannin, Braeswood and Berliner bridges), to get from Helix Park to the main campus of TMC. But if the goal is to get to the TMC TC, it would be better to just make sure we have good sidewalk infrastructure along S Braeswood and Fannin, the shortest, most direct rout to the TMC TC. (Sidewalks currently exist, but they could use improvement, especially on the Fannin St bridge.)

FWIW, that conceptual rendering does not show a pedestrian bridge to the UT School of Public Health. It appears to suggest a pedestrian bridge over the bayou and then between two large sets of cooling towers (is that even feasible? I would guess not - it looks like there's only maybe 15 feet between them), and then perhaps connecting to MD Anderson's skywalk, which does not connect to the UT School of Public Health and would be a round-about way to get to the TMC TC. 

Truth be told, I was guessing about the School of Public Health bit. But I've walked that stretch a couple of times trying to figure out how such a bridge could possibly work, and I'm with you - hard to see it working out.

Hence my skepticism about this development being really transit accessible. It'll be doable, but walking and transit still seem like the worst ways to access the site. Bike will be okay if they connect to Brays, better if they connect to Brays and Almeda, and better still if OST and/or Holcome get proper facilities. 

But all in all, I still think it's fair to call the development car-centric, on site location alone.

It's pretty good for car-centric, though - at least it's mainly due to factors well outside the developers' control, and not deliberate choices they made.

But the Medical Center in general tends to be pretty underwhelming on the urbanist front (despite its density and higher order transit), largely due to its fortressy street grid. 

[Highrise Tower]

The grand opening of TMC Helix Park is around the corner! Here are photos from my visit this week.

Helix Park, Section 1, has been sprayed with grass.  This is going to look great!!

Parcel E, outlined formation taking shape.

TMC3 Collaborative Building signage!

One Dynamic Way.

Parcel A, surface lot.

Parcel B, getting grass sprayed.

Helix Park, section 3.

Helix Park, Section 4:

Two Dynamic Way.

Public Parking:

[cityliving]

[Highrise Tower]

My visit to TMC Helix Park this weekend.  TMC3CB building signage!! Street signs!!

Helix Park, section 1 is forming that helix curve.

Parcel E, the outline in the center has a few rebar cages! What's going on here?

Site details.

Street signs, Catalyst Way 1800 block & Envision Way 1800 block.

TMC3 Collaborative Building, signage!!

Parcel A, surface lot.

Parcel B, grass is sprouting!

Dynamic 2.

Dynamic One.

Helix Park, section 4.

Parking facility, while the retail wing hasn't been built, I do appreciate the green grass.  Looks great!

 

[monarch]

^^^ @Highrise Tower outstanding job my dude!

[Frever]

Any idea which stores will occupy the retail space?

[strickn]

A number of fiercely competing scrubs outlets

[Highrise Tower]

A new master plan was released this week! From the State of Texas Medical Center 2023.

Lots to take in.  Starting from the side of Old Spanish Trail:

- 4 blue shaped pools on Parcel E.  I would assume they were actual pools, but tennis courts would make more sense.
- TMC3 Collaborative Building has the floors labeled for tenants.
- One Dynamic Way has Beacon Capital occupying the 7th floor.
- Parking Garage labeled without being mixed-use or retail.  Disappointment!
- Hotel & Conference Center, and the High-Rise Apartments were removed from the master plan. That is not a good sign! It's not even included in Phase II?

Edit: I may have misread the master plan.  This master plan is pointing out the completed buildings.

[Highrise Tower]

wow!!

I found the retail architects for the (proposed) Mixed-Use Garage.

RDC Architects, also known as RDC Collaborative. The description from their website:

The retail destination features shops, unique culinary experiences with outdoor patios, a major fitness club and specialized fitness studios, entertainment venues, and public amenities. This district is created for daily visitors to TMC, including the researchers, doctors, professionals, and patients, as well as to attract repeat visits from members of the diverse communities of the greater Houston area.
https://www.rdcollaborative.com/project/texas-medical-center/

Simply beautiful!! The black exterior finish on the retail wing facade is amazing!

Kirby Ice House? You got to be kidding? Was Kirby Ice House actually in talks with the TMC about the leasing? Or was this simply random graphics used as a template? Pretty specific, local, business name. I would assume they were in talks until the collapse of the mixed-use garage. Bummer. Maybe Flying Saucer could go there instead

[LosFeliz]

Yikes. 

[strickn]

The design of this proposed garge is kind of random vis a vis the other phases of the project.  It's like they are going too far into novelty for an urban city block in order to balance the "over-bland-sameness for any actual future urban neighborhood" vibe on the institutional side of the scales

But it does look to me like that garage roof could fit at _least_ four more tennis courts on the top level without breaking a sweat

[strickn]

On 10/28/2023 at 3:28 PM, strickn said:

The design of ... that garage roof could fit at _least_ four more tennis courts on the top level without breaking a sweat

And maybe a grid of oversailing poles (link) with solar mesh tented on them to keep the players from breaking a sweat

 

an effect akin to this, rather than a Topgolf/driving range, perhaps?