Call for Papers: 2010 Creating/Making Forum

The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture invites paper proposals for its 2010 Creating/Making Forum, which will be held in Norman, Oklahoma, Nov. 3-5, 2010. Click here for more information.

Cooper’s Hawk Rescued

A TSA Staffer’s Personal Story

Tuesday morning (January 26) after pulling into my regular parking place on the 8^th (top) floor of the parking garage, I immediately saw a large and beautiful bird struggling to find its way toward the sky.  Of course, it had no way of succeeding since the garage is a concrete and glass structure with no openings above the second floor.  I went first to the security desk in the lobby to make sure someone was aware of the bird’s plight and to learn what steps were being taken to safely remove the bird.  Later that day, building management made a call to a city agency but were told the agency doesn’t do this type of work, and in fact, should employees of the management company attempt removal, they would need a permit.

 Some of you will remember the pair of Redtail Hawks that took up residence on the outdoor fire escape of the Society’s offices in Norwood Tower in 1996.  Former TSA employee Gay Patterson developed a keen interest in the hawks’ well-being and began a relationship with a local volunteer group, Austin Wildlife Rescue.  I called Gay early Wednesday and she set wheels in motion that led to the bird being safely lured into a cage and removed from the garage this morning.  Thankfully, this story has a happy ending.

 Ed Somes, the volunteer who drove into downtown Austin from Cedar Park to help, called me just after the rescue.  He told me the bird is a Cooper’s Hawk, described how the job was done, and then confirmed that I work with architects.  He asked me to convey the importance of planning an escape hatch for birds in atriums, parking garages and other tall structures where birds may stray.  If just one window is made operable at the top-most area of the structure, birds will typically (and fairly quickly) find their own way to safety and freedom.  I visited with building management and asked if them to consider retrofitting a window in the garage to prevent future bird entrapments.  We’ll see.

So, considering the role of the Society supporting architects in creating safe, beautiful, sustainable environments, as the new mission statement indicates, remember to design for the safety of Mother Nature and all she provides for our enjoyment.

Gayle Pickering

TSA Senior Director

The Tunnel and TSA Beckon You to Houston

Gayle Pickering

TSA Senior Director

Did you know that underneath Houston’s central business district lies a world unto itself of shops, eateries, and connections to corporate skyscrapers, banks, and retail establishments? Probably not. It’s one of Houston’s best-kept secrets, but in fact, most of downtown’s 150,000-person workforce–and thousands of visitors–go subterranean every day in what Houstonians continue to call simply “the Tunnel.” The Tunnel and the Hyatt’s convenient access is one of the reasons TSA is headquartered at the Hyatt Regency Houston for its 70th Annual Convention, Oct. 22-24. (To reach the George R. Brown Convention Center and TSA activities there, it’s about a 15-minute walk to The Shops at Houston Center where you go above ground, stroll across Discovery Green, and enter the Center at Entrance C.)

Rockefeller Center inspired Houston’s first tunnel, located beneath Fannin Street between Texas and Capitol connecting former Texas Governor Ross Sterling’s 1926 Post-Dispatch Building (now the Magnolia Hotel) with another one of his buildings, the 1931 Sterling Building. It is interesting to note that the architect for each building was Wyatt C. Hedrick, Ross Sterling’s son-in-law.

Over the years, other downtown buildings were connected by tunnels until in 1971 a total of thirteen buildings were accessible underground. Houston’s construction boom of the 1970s and 1980s inspired private developers to expand the Tunnel to most of its present form of about seven miles and 77 buildings. Most of the Tunnel is owned by building owners who lease space in their buildings’ lower levels to retailers. Many owners design their sections of the Tunnel with unique recessed lighting, display windows and art, so you can usually tell when you are leaving one building for another.

Just about every service is available via the Tunnel, and it is monitored by safety personnel and cameras. In addition to food courts, you’ll find dry cleaners, shoe repair shops, quality restaurants, gift shops, boutiques, copy and printing services, post offices, flower shops, doctors, drug stores, salons, and barber shops. The Tunnel is also connected to the Theater District’s performance halls and Bayou Place. The Tunnel is open during business hours Monday through Friday (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.); the city’s portion linking the theater District Parking Garage to Bayou Place and performance halls remains open 24/7. For a current map and more information about the shops and services in the Tunnel and downtown Houston, check out 
www.houstondowntown.com and look for the Above & Below Map. Come to Houston in October and experience the Tunnel, a feature that certainly adds Power to the city’s downtown vibe.