TMC3 Collaborative Building hits construction milestone

Texas Medical Center (TMC), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health), and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) today celebrated the topping-out of the TMC³ Collaborative Building, a joint research building located on the TMC³ life science campus. Construction on the building, which is the first multi-institutional research facility in the Texas Medical Center’s history, commenced in January 2021.

“The topping-out of the TMC³ Collaborative Building marks an integral milestone in the future of life science research and innovation and reflects an unprecedented commitment to collaboration among the four founding institutions,” said William McKeon, president and CEO of TMC. “The lifesaving research and technologies that will come out of this building will truly revolutionize health care.”

Located at the heart of the TMC³ campus, the 250,000 square-foot building is designed to foster innovation and maximize collaboration among the founding institutions, as well as with academic, health care, and industry partners. A key feature of the building is a 43,000-square-foot research lab shared by MD Anderson, Texas A&M Health, and UT Health Houston. Comprised of both lab and office/co-working space, the environment is deliberately designed to facilitate the seamless exchange of life science ideas and advancements.

“It is extraordinary to see the TMC³ life sciences ecosystem emerging from a former parking lot to now completing the structure of the TMC³ Collaborative Building,” said Peter WT Pisters, MD, president of MD Anderson. “This remarkable facility will serve as a hub for the next generation of innovators who will be advancing cutting-edge research, collaborating as teams from the academic medical community and industry, and forging the next great discovery to end cancer. The opportunities are endless.”

“This milestone highlights the tremendous opportunity for collaboration among the academic medicine partners,” said Jon Mogford, PhD, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Texas A&M Health. “Houston is a resource-rich location and the perfect platform for pioneering advancements and commercial pursuits across the life sciences spectrum and other translational industries that meet our mission and serve patients in need.”

“The TMC³ Collaborative Building will provide an outstanding opportunity for our faculty leaders to collaborate with our founding partners and industry leaders to turn discoveries into therapies and new approaches for treating diseases,” said Michael R. Blackburn, PhD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at UTHealth Houston. “As a leader in the field of biomedical informatics, analyzing and identifying discoveries within large data sets is one of the innovative approaches we will bring to this partnership.”

In addition to the joint research lab, the building will include:

• 85,000-square-feet of lab and office space developed for industry partners
• 14,200-square-feet to host TMC’s strategic initiatives, Braidwell, the TMC Venture Fund, and national venture and equity fund partners
• 7,000 square-foot atrium that can seat up to 500 people for lectures, weekly programming, and informal events

“Houston already has a place on the world stage as a leader in clinical care and life sciences. With the launch of the TMC3 Collaborative Building and larger TMC3 campus, we showcase why our city leads in the areas of innovation and technology,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “In the process, we will create opportunities to bring new partners and industry to our city and generate new jobs for the residents of the Greater Houston community.”

The building is part of phase one construction of the TMC³ campus—a 37-acre life science campus designed to unite the best minds in medicine and commercialization. In addition to the TMC³ Collaborative Building, the TMC³ campus includes a 700,000 square-foot Industry Research Building, six future industry and institutional research buildings, a 521-room hotel, 350 residential units, a mixed-use building with retail, and 18.7 acres of public space, including six parks linked in a double helix.

The TMC³ Collaborative Building was designed by Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects, one of the nation’s premier life science architectural firms. It is slated to be completed in 2023.

“The TMC³ Collaborative Building reflects the ethos of the entire campus, with spaces designed for collaboration between researchers from multiple disciplines, and between institutional research and industry, with the goal of accelerating discovery,” said David Manfredi, CEO and founding principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects and lead architect and master planner for the project. “Seeing this building come together reinforces the promise of the entire campus and represents a significant first step toward changing the future of research at Texas Medical Center.”

News release by Texas Medical Center