A $50,000 Idea

Reimagining the downtown post office with a pedestrian bridge that spans theBayou

A bustling Bayou Commons at night
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
A mock-up of the pedestrian bridge that's an important feature of Bayou Commons.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
Bayou Commons links the post office site with its surrounding neighborhoods tocreate a diverse new community fully integrateds into the urban fabric.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
Public space, diversity and economic-viability were the central focus of BayouCommons, created by a joint team from the University of Colorado and Harvard.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
After visiting the site in March, the Colorado-Harvard team decided to add shademany of the pedestrian areas for those hot Houston summers.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
An example of the team's many design considerations
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
Gerald D. Hines, for whom the competition is named, started the contest in 2003to encourage cooperation between designers and real estate experts. On Friday,he sat in the audience to watch the final presentations.
Purdue University

A team of students from the University of Colorado and Harvard University took home a $50,000 top prize in the Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition sponsored by the Urban Land Institute.

On Friday, in the black box theater of the Houston Ballet Center for Dance, a panel of competition judges from across the country examined four final projects that reimagined a 16-acre site along Buffalo Bayou that currently maintains the mid-century downtown post office that the U.S. government has thought of selling. Real estate development legend Gerald D. Hines, who helped to create the contest 10 years ago, sat in the crowd to watch the proceedings and hear the final winner.

"The entire jury believed that if there was ever a poster child for multidisciplinary cooperation in this competition, it was the Colorad o-Harvard team,” Richard Heapes said.

After a morning of presentations from each team, the jury chose Colorado-Harvard's "Bayou Commons" project for its thoughtful use of public space and attempt to integrate the diverse fabric of surrounding neighborhoods.

Initially named “Downtown BaYOU,” the team rebranded and greatly expanded its original hypothetical scheme following a tour of the site in early March. At the center of the plan is an iconic pedestrian bridge that spans the bayou and connects the site to downtown by way of a network of amply-shaded outdoor space that mitigates Houston's notoriously hot and humid climate.

“The entire jury believed that if there was ever a poster child for multidisciplinary cooperation in this competition, it was the Colorado-Harvard team,” jury member Richard Heapes of Street Works, a development company, said in a statement. “My own company is built to match this model. . . I constantly struggle for this type of interaction and cooperation.

"Seeing this team do this in action was truly inspirational.”

Bayou Commons is designed to be fully market driven and phased to ensure that each chapter of development creates a desirable place to live, work and interact. The master plan celebrates the city's unique culture with eye-catching architectural designs, an art center and a mixture of housing types to encourage a wide swath of demographics.

“We are all thrilled to have won the competition and at the same time humbled by the experience,” said team leader Chad Murphy, who is pursuing a master of business administration in real estate at the University of Colorado.

“The three other teams were really strong," Murphy said. "Seeing Mr. Hines at the presentation, witnessing the diversity of the jury, and seeing what jury members brought to the table was an incredible experience.”

The three other teams left Houston with $10,000 a piece — not too shabby.

In addition to Murphy, other Colorado-Harvard members included Michael Albert, master in landscape architecture, Harvard University; Victor Perez Amado, master in architecture, Harvard University; Alex Atherton, master of business administration in real estate, University of Colorado; and Anna Cawrse, master of landscape architecture, Harvard University.

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sleep like an olympian

Houston Olympians share sleep tips at luxury mattress maker's posh store

Luxury sleep brand Saatva’s Houston showroom (1703 Post Oak Blvd.), referred to as a “Viewing Room” by the company, is one of only three in Texas, and 17 in the country. Its steadfast stance to exclusively manufacture all of their products — from mattresses to furniture collections— in the US, has contributed to the 15-year-old, eco-friendly company’s success.

Courtesy of Saatva

Saatva has joined Team USA as the official mattress for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Saatva is known for its made-to-order luxury mattresses that are always delivered white glove — never rolled and shipped. Designed in collaboration by Hines Collective and award-winning multidisciplinary architecture and design firm Ware Malcomb, the 4,000-square-foot viewing room integrates modern touches and emphasizes the new interpretation of Smarter Luxury Sleep.

From the moment a visitor enters through the foyer, the viewing room aims to redefine the customer experience. With its aromatic fragrance, subtle color palette, warm lighting, and sustainable flooring and wall treatments, Saatva Houston offers an inviting respite from the city’s bustle.

Further into the space, silvery trees form a canopy under the ceiling’s gentle curves. Soft fabrics and floor-to-ceiling mirrors punctuate the walls throughout, creating a unified environment from start to finish. In keeping with Saatva’s “made in America” philosophy, interior materials and finishes, including the architectural lighting, were manufactured in the U.S.

The Houston store also features a collaboration with Samsung, allowing customers the option to choose a self-guided tour of Saatva’s products. Customers can also test pillows, sateen sheets, and beautifully-upholstered furniture collections in store. Saatva even thought of the four-legged family members with a posh dog bed.

Supporting Team U.S.A.

Saatva’s commitment to all things American now reaches beyond the realm of manufacturing. The brand recently partnered with Team U.S.A. to provide mattresses during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. To celebrate their 15 year anniversary and new partnership, Saatva Houston recently invited two highly-decorated, Houston-native Olympic athletes to an intimate gathering to share the importance of restorative sleep.

Three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Manuel — who also happens to be the first Black American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming — was joined by two-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist Bryce Deadmon (Track & Field) for the celebratory breakfast. Both athletes dished on their favorite Houston cheat meal spots and the restorative sleep routines they live by.

Pre-sleep routine of Olympian Simone Manuel (two Gold, four Silver, one Bronze)

“I think the biggest thing is definitely putting my phone away as early as possible,” she says. “It’s hard, you know? There are so many distractions, but I try to at least limit them if I can’t completely eliminate them.” Manual gets in bed around 9 pm, with her phone off limits. “I like to watch TV before I go to sleep, but I at least try to turn down the brightness and put on blue light glasses, and that helps a lot. Sometimes I’ll put the TV on mute and then I’ll turn on some white noise.” Manuel’s go-to sleepy time extras? Lavender linen spray and eucalyptus incense.

Favorite Houston healthy spots: Local Table and JLB Eatery
Favorite Houston cheat meal spots: On The Kirb, The Rouxpour, and Pappadeaux.

Pre-sleep routine of Olympian Bryce Deadmon (two Gold, one Silver, one Bronze)

Deadmon relies on 20 minutes of meditation to get ready to go to bed. “I try to make sure I do that just to make sure I’m not really thinking when I get into bed. So, I kind of regulate my breathing before getting into bed — that’s really my main thing. It can be dangerous,” Deadmon adds with a laugh. “I have fallen asleep while meditating. I’ll wake up like ‘What’s going on?!’ That’s not supposed to happen. But it really calms me down before I actually go to sleep.”

Favorite Houston healthy spot: Pre-made meals from H-E-B
Favorite Houston cheat meal spots: Doña Leti’s and Burger Bodega.

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