As part of a joint venture, the Memorial Park Conservancy and City of Houston selected Kirksey to design the new, 4,400-sf Memorial Park Running and Trail Pavilion. Kirksey collaborated with these organizations to design an inspirational facility that is highly functional, sustainable, and integrated into its environment so that it will change the running “center of gravity” to its location. The Pavilion sets the style for future buildings at Memorial Park and creates a welcoming, open space for park enthusiasts to enjoy. Kirksey worked with the client to generate fund-raising and educational ideas to integrate throughout the Pavilion.
Designed to meet very aggressive sustainability goals, this 4,000-sf facility provides locker rooms, shower facilities, a small coffee shop, and a generous meeting deck for runners and trail users. Nestled in the woods just south of the living bridge that crosses Memorial Drive, the facility is designed to generate more electricity than it uses, conserve substantial amounts of water, and will be constructed using felled trees from the Park.