Texas Woman’s University, Institute of Health Sciences, Houston Center

Houston, Texas

Firm

Kirksey Architecture

Client

Texas Woman`s University

Area

210,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$27,700,000

Completion Date

08/2006

Upon completion of an extensive feasibility study, the architect was selected to design a new 210,000-square-foot campus situated adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. The new building includes laboratory, research and lecture facilities for all of the departments, as well as all administrative and common spaces necessary for a complete campus. The 10-story campus accommodates laboratory, research and lecture facilities for nursing, and physical- and occupational-therapy students.
Because of site constraints, the high-rise campus accommodates multiple functions. It houses the existing and future professional programs within a multidisciplinary academic environment. The exterior facade is designed to reflect the various interior functions, providing a collage of forms that create visual interest while accentuating the overall scale of the building. The primary form-giver and gateway element is a slender glass corner tower housing stacked, two-story beacon lounges, topped by the executive boardroom and illuminated lantern. This is defined further by a slender limestone wall that appears to slide through the glass facade and separates the lounges from the main stair that rises through the building.