CIVIC + RECREATIONAL

Site Development + Drainage + Traffic

Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts

HOUSTON, TEXAS

A 1.5-acre civic plaza – built over an active garage – designed to keep movement live day + night

THE SITE.

Lynn Wyatt Square sits in the middle of Downtown Houston’s Theater District — a dense, active corridor where traffic, pedestrians, and venue access stay constant. The plaza spans 1.5 acres across a full city block — built over an operational parking structure.

Grade + ADA Continuity

The plaza drops nearly 12 feet from end to end. Grading had to do more than shape the space — it had to keep sidewalks continuous, accessible, and ADA-compliant across the perimeter.

Drainage That Respects What’s Underneath

Stormwater design couldn’t treat this like a typical site. Detention was engineered to perform on top of a garage roof — supported by lightweight soils that drain quickly without adding load.

Traffic + Construction Choreography

The city could not shut down for the project. Traffic flow stayed live on all four sides through design, permitting, and construction — and the underground garage remained open the entire time.

Traffic + Construction Choreography

The city could not shut down for the project. Traffic flow stayed live on all four sides through design, permitting, and construction — and the underground garage remained open the entire time.

Traffic + Construction Choreography

The city could not shut down for the project. Traffic flow stayed live on all four sides through design, permitting, and construction — and the underground garage remained open the entire time.

SITE UNSEEN.

DAY ONE

What the site demanded —

A full downtown city block in Houston’s Theater
District
Built directly over a working underground
parking garage
Nearly 12 feet of fall across the plaza footprint
Traffic + pedestrian access had to stay open on
all four sides

UNDER THE SURFACE
What we engineered —

Detention engineered for a garage roof —
storage without structural load
Lightweight specialty soils — fast drainage
without added dead weight
Permeable water barrier installed between the
garage + new hardscape
Encroachment + ROW coordination to keep the
city moving through construction

SNAPSHOT.

Client

The City of Houston

Architect

(add)

Location

Downtown Houston Theater District

Key Constraint

Active garage + 12 feet of fall across the block