Downtown Goes Uptown in Stainless Steel

Slade, Lee; Freidrichs, Edwin C.; ,

Downtown Goes Uptown in Stainless Steel

by Lee Slade, P.E., (M.ASCE), Sr. Vice-Pres.; Walter P. Moore & Associates, Houston, TX,
Edwin C. Freidrichs, P.E., (M.ASCE), Sr. Vice-Pres.; Walter P. Moore & Associates, Houston, TX,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1998, Vol. 68, Issue 2, Pg. 46-49

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

In an unusual urban planning endeavor, a business district in Houston upgraded infrastructure, and added stainless steel design elements to unify the area. About $11 million was raised through bonds issued by the state's first private improvement district, and engineers worked with a design firm to implement the program. Stainless steel arches that set off the district required wind tunnel testing, as did stainless steel cable-suspended rings that denote major intersections. The rings hang from cables attached to steel pylons. Nontraditional lighting fixtures, continental crosswalks and other signage were also part of the project. Utilities were placed underground as part of the infrastructure improvements. Called Uptown Houston, it is the largest suburban business district in the country, and is six miles from downtown Houston.

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