INTEGRATING WATER & LAND SYSTEMS
Texas Medical Center Helix Park -
Houston, Texas
Mikyoung Kim Design
2019- 2021
Located within the Brays Bayou floodplain, the Texas Medical Center’s research campus is situated in an area highly vulnerable to flooding. In response, the landscape is designed not just to withstand water—but to embrace it. A continous sequence of gardens weaves through the campus, functioning both as a vibrant public realm and as a performative landscape that accommodate water during major storms. The design elevates the gardens approximately five feet above the base flood elevation, allowing them to manage runoff from a 200-year storm while maintaining accessibility and visual continuity with the surrounding campus. Realizing the project required careful grading and coordinating the water feature functionality.
with Conner Cunningham & Jess Hamilton
Photos: Robert Benson & Luis Ayala, courtesy of Mikyoung Kim Design.