Texas Children’s Hospital Flood Protection Program
Securing a pediatric hospital
Project Facts
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Owner | Texas Children’s Hospital |
Overview
Safeguarding the Texas Medical Center’s largest pediatric hospital from flooding, our team engineered a specialized flood protection system. Successfully tested during Tropical Storm Allison, our design ensured operational resilience during the most devastating rain event in U.S. history, showcasing its efficacy in extreme weather conditions.
Services
About the project
Our team provided a comprehensive study and engineering design to protect the largest full-scale pediatric hospital in the Texas Medical Center from flooding, including staff preparation, training, and drills. Our design met the unique demands of healthcare operations, which mandated minimum disruption to public and service corridors, allowing wheeled car traffic to navigate the corridors smoothly, compliance with ADA requirements, and fast deployment of the gates in five minutes or less during flash flooding. Flood protection included durable and aesthetically pleasing flood gates, protection of the basements interconnected with adjacent hospitals (able to restrain 30 feet of water pressure), and sealing of mechanical and utility penetrations.
In June 2001, the new flood protection system had its first test from Tropical Storm Allison, the most devastating rain event in U.S. history. The hospital remained dry and operational during that massive storm that flooded Downtown Houston and closed several major hospitals in the Texas Medical Center.
