GK Engineers provided full MEP design for the cafe inside the new Memorial Park Running Trail Center, part of the Memorial Park Master Plan in Houston. The 3,400 SF single-story building has an open vaulted interior, an operable glass wall and a cantilevered roof over nearly 1,000 SF of patio, so every system had to disappear.

HVAC equipment sits inside the masonry tower enclosures, out of view, while serving a dining room that opens to the outdoors in Houston’s humidity, with ventilation sized for food service. Power was built around the kitchen equipment package and a flexible LED lighting scheme for day and evening service, with low-glare patio lighting. Plumbing covers domestic water, sanitary, grease waste and hot water.

Design started in 2021 with a cafe concept study and continued into the 2022 tenant package. GK walked the MEP punch with the architect, contractor and tenant in January 2024, and the cafe is open.