Midtown Superblock Park and Garage

OWNER

Midtown Redevelopment Authority

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Parking Garage: 400 spaces

Feature: one parking level below grade

Additional Expertise: Design Team Project Management

Midtown Superblock Park and Garage

Houston
Texas

Tremendous growth in the historic Midtown neighborhood brought with it parking and traffic issues requiring attention as the area became a thriving, pedestrian friendly urban environment. To meet these demands, Midtown Redevelopment Authority developed the Midtown Superblock Park and Garage. This landmark project includes a 2.5-acre park with an underground 400-car parking garage, a 3,000 SF entertainment pavilion, water features, and a 7,500 SF restaurant. An eight-story residential tower being developed by a different owner is incorporated into the site.

To complete the project in time for the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston, the owner selected Walter P Moore as the lead consultant to take full advantage of our comprehensive services and long-standing relationships with the City of Houston and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO).

Many innovative design methods were utilized to seamlessly blend four distinct program elements – garage, park, restaurant, residential tower – into one integrated development.

We designed a special storm water management system that also serves as detention for the site and a 70,000-gallon vault that collects rainwater from the park and garage drainage system. Our traffic impact study estimated and mitigated traffic flow to and from the site and coordinated with METRO on bus stop locations.

One of the biggest challenges was how to have a living, sustainable park above a below-grade parking garage. Our structural and diagnostics engineers worked closely with our parking consultants to design an operationally efficient garage while allowing the park’s trees to grow and thrive.

The Superblock creates a central unifying place where people can gather, with easy access on foot or by car, light rail, bus, or bike. This project serves as a catalyst for Midtown redevelopment.