A stunning new square and green space is coming to Houston’s Theater District. From the international design collective, Rios – in collaboration with Harrison Kornberg Architects – comes the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts, a beautiful new oasis that will accommodate a range of outdoor performances and special events.
“Our design with collaborating architect Harrison Kornberg Architects strives to create an urban park encompassing Downtown Houston’s future, facilitating urban life with pockets for discovery,” Rios states on its website.
Taking its inspiration from movements in the performing arts, Rios adopted a strategy called Urban Choreography with their design of Lynn Wyatt Square. This concept will manifest in its flexible accommodation for special performances and outdoor events – both planned and impromptu – as well as its connection and relationship to neighboring Houston spaces.
“This plaza will be the new gateway for Houstonians and visitors alike to experience the beauty and power of the nationally recognized performing arts that surround it.”
Climate and resiliency also play prominent roles in the design of the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts in Houston. Addressing the heat, Rios plans to convert what was formerly a “concrete heat island” into an expansive lawn roof with oak trees, a proscenium walk, and an immersive water installation. Here, the designers intend to create a welcoming outdoor space for pedestrians.
In regards to the area’s predisposition to flooding, the plans embraces elevating structures above the new flood line, while also ensuring reinforced flood doors, and emergency gates at all points of entry to the garage.
A harmoniously integrated, multi-level restaurant is also planned for the urban park. Here, the expressive ceiling structure will be visible for patrons in the column-free dining space.
The Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts has already won an award for its design in the 2021 AIA Houston Design Awards. There’s no word yet on when the space will officially open to the public.
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