Discovery Green
Houston, TX
Discovery Green transformed 12 acres of empty parking lots in a moribund district of downtown Houston into a verdant destination that attracts millions of visitors annually and has been a catalyst for economic and social change for downtown.

Residents, workers, visitors and children from all over the city visit the park daily. The park’s diverse programming is accommodated without sacrifice to the guiding principle given by the client: keep it green. The design achieves this balance by a simple structure of east / west striations that organize the park’s sequence of spaces and straddle the central active promenade. This strong but simple design creates a landscape structure that belies the multiplicity of activities that include a pond for model boats that converts to ice skating in the winter, interactive fountains and art, colorful gardens, and flexible use lawns for play, gathering and performances. Since it opened the landscape has matured and additional places for people to gather have been added within the original framework.

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Cite 99: Landscape and City Building are Inseparable
Cooper Hewitt – CELEBRATE DESIGN

Photography by Timothy Hursley