Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) Renovation
Discovery Green and the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) renovation transformed downtown Houston into a vibrant, walkable destination. Designed by landscape architects Hargreaves Jones in association with Page, Discovery Green opened in 2008, replacing a 12-acre parking lot with a park that now attracts over 1.5 million visitors annually and hosts hundreds of free events.
The park catalyzed $1.25 billion in surrounding development and features Page-designed architecture, including two restaurants, an administration building, an underground garage, a bandstand, a children’s performance space, and shade structures.
The GRB, first opened in 1987, underwent a $175 million renovation in 2016. In collaboration with landscape architects SWA, Page reimagined the facility and its relationship to the city, creating a 10-story Grand Lobby and the pedestrian-friendly Avenida Plaza. This revitalization strengthened Houston’s position as a Tier One convention city, blending green space, public art, and modern infrastructure into a world-class urban experience.
Awards
-
1AIA Design Award, Houston Chapter (The Grove)
-
2Design Excellence for Hospitality, IIDA Texas/Oklahoma (The Grove)
-
3Award of Excellence, Business Week/Architectural Record
-
4Design Award of Excellence, Society of American Registered Architects (The Grove)
-
5Outstanding Environmental Project, USGBC-Houston
Downtown park architecture
Crowds fill the vibrant urban park, while Avenida Houston connects the dynamic public spaces, showcasing Houston’s transformation into a premier destination for entertainment, hospitality, and civic engagement.
Discovery Green’s architecture elegantly complements the 12-acre urban park, a lush green space that attracts visitors to a downtown district once dominated by asphalt parking lots. Set in Houston’s central business district, Discovery Green spreads luxuriantly across four city blocks in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center to the east. Discovery Green encompasses several significant architectural components, most notably a restaurant, a café, and a park administration headquarters. In addition, a garage hidden beneath the park accommodates 600 vehicles.
The three principal buildings parallel the rows of 100-year-old trees, known as the Oak Alley, and reinforce their linear character. Each building comprises long, thin volumes and draws activity via ancillary trails that extend into the park from both sides of the central north/south promenade. Their geometry is simple – glass boxes enclosing and intersecting with masonry boxes, allowing park visitors to quickly understand each facility’s function and easily reach their destination. Landscape-oriented buildings blend seamlessly with the outdoor environment and respect natural forces and phenomena.
The park, which we designed in association with Hargreaves Associates, has transformed the perception and experience of downtown while seeding the revitalization of the surrounding urban district.
The Grove Restaurant
This 17,180-square-foot restaurant comprises a series of elongated, pavilion-like volumes parallel to a majestic double row of live oak trees. The first structure contains dining spaces above and below in a steel frame with large fixed and operable glass panels.
Each space has a different vista into the complex web of trunks and branches through various glass panels that admit soft north light. Private decks allow the main dining room to spill out under the trees in fine weather, providing a strong connection to nature in all seasons.
At the east end, two private dining spaces can be seamlessly enclosed or opened to the main dining room with massive sliding glass walls. Upstairs, the outdoor dining experience takes center stage, offering an even more dramatic skyline view to the west.
The second structure features a ruddy Gulf Coast brick and houses two grand exterior stairs, an elevator, and interior circulation. The third, containing the kitchen, is wrapped in sustainably farmed ipe wood. The final brick volume houses delivery and administration services.
Environmental strategy
It was essential the park reflects Houston’s identity, using locally sourced and sustainable materials to define its character. In addition to using native and regionally appropriate plant materials throughout the park, Texas pink and red granites link the park’s plazas, fountains, and decomposed granite paths to the mountains of West Texas. The distinctive red-orange St. Joe's bricks bring the park architecture a similar local color palette.
The Grove Restaurant, the Lakehouse Café, and the Park Building are all LEED Silver certified. Park architecture is characterized by expansive glass faces on the north exposure, capturing natural lighting and creating contiguous indoor and outdoor relationships.
In contrast, large shaded outdoor verandas on southern exposures reduce solar heat gain and encourage outdoor seating and gathering by providing shelter from Houston’s characteristic hot sun and downpours. The veranda shade structures comprise large banks of photovoltaic panels and solar water heating elements, significantly offsetting the park’s energy consumption.
Even the below-grade garage is tied to the park-wide sustainability strategies. The permanent dewatering system and harvested roof water refill the lake, reducing water consumption and stormwater discharge.
Unrecognized by many park visitors, a 4-acre, 620-stall parking garage is seamlessly integrated into a layered structure that supports the Great Lawn, amphitheater landform, stage, lake, and Café building.
The park design creatively resolved many technical and design challenges by encasing the large parking entrance and ramp within the slope and volume of the landform amphitheater, transforming what could have been a prominent visual nuisance into an attractive and functional park amenity. Garage stairwells and ventilation shafts, typically anomalous objects within a park environment, were designed as evocative public art elements.
Avenida’s urban transformation
The George R. Brown Convention Center (GRB) underwent a transformational renovation to enhance its presence in downtown Houston, creating a dynamic civic space that seamlessly integrates with Discovery Green and the surrounding urban fabric. Originally built in the 1980s, the GRB lacked a defined entry, clear wayfinding, and a strong identity. In collaboration with Houston First and landscape architects SWA, the Page design team reimagined the facility and its relationship to the city, turning it into a vibrant gathering place.
A key element of the $175 million renovation was the creation of Avenida Houston, a pedestrian-focused district unifying the GRB with Discovery Green. Six lanes along five city blocks were converted into Avenida Plaza, a 97,000-square-foot public space now serving as the city’s "front door."
Three new glass volumes improve circulation and offer transparency between the convention center and the urban landscape. Expansive glazing allows visitors to engage with the park and skyline, while a grand, light-filled concourse enhances the arrival experience.
The addition of Ed Wilson’s 60-foot sculpture, Soaring in the Clouds, further elevates the space. Today, Avenida Houston is a thriving destination, home to public art, premier hotels, restaurants, and cultural activities.
“Proving how much an urban park can do for a neighborhood, the 12-acre park has helped revitalize Houston's downtown, enticing office workers and fun-seekers with green spaces, family-friendly recreation, and more than 10,000 free events that have showcased the culture, diversity and spirit of H-Town.”Robin SoslowHouston Chronicle
/
Similar projects
/
Talk with us
Complex challenges need fresh perspectives and deep expertise. Connect with our team to explore how we can help you create spaces that make a real difference.