Bold New Visions
UH Architecture Students Explore Sustainability, Community Access and the Future of Houston’s Iconic Astrodome
A group of University of Houston architecture students spent the fall semester taking on the unique challenge of reimagining one of Houston’s most iconic — and often contentious — structures: the Astrodome.
The Astrodome opened in 1965 as the first indoor, air-conditioned domed stadium and was dubbed the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” As nonprofits and Harris County officials continue to debate its future, 19 students from UH’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design proposed bold visions for the long-unused landmark, exploring how the multipurpose structure could serve Houston’s future.
The one-time studio design course was made possible through a $30,000 gift from Amazon, which is interested in strategies for reusing large-scale, aging infrastructure, said assistant professor Mili Kyropoulou, who led the course and founded UH’s Building Analytics and Sustainable Environments (BASE) Laboratory.
“This course has become essentially a playground for us to collectively test ideas about architecture, adaptive reuse and what it means to engage with massive structures that are left to deteriorate,” she said.
Course Details
Amazon approached Kyropoulou after her professional team won ASHRAE’s 2023 LowDown Showdown design competition, which centered on reimagining the Astrodome. With the company’s support, she partnered with co-instructor Maria Christofi to launch “DOMEafterDOME,” a studio course exploring new conceptual visions for the 1-million-square-foot structure.
A recent Hobby School of Public Affairs poll showed 62% of Harris County voters support a public-private partnership to convert the structure — which last hosted a major event in 2002 — into an entertainment venue.
Senior architecture student Linzhen Chew presents cross section sketches of his team’s AD-002 concept to turn the Astrodome into an automated logistics and robotics center.
Senior architecture student Linzhen Chew presents cross section sketches of his team’s AD-002 concept to turn the Astrodome into an automated logistics and robotics center.
From left: Senior architecture students Taylor Henderson, Erada Zeyna and Ashley Gonzalez present their Astrostage concept to a panel of judges.
From left: Senior architecture students Taylor Henderson, Erada Zeyna and Ashley Gonzalez present their Astrostage concept to a panel of judges.
Students used traditional materials and 3D printing processes to design physical renditions of their reimagined designs.
Students used traditional materials and 3D printing processes to design physical renditions of their reimagined designs.
Senior architecture students Hadeel Al-Jubouri, DJ Jang and Alex Arteaga present their group project, City Within in a City, to a panel of judges.
Senior architecture students Hadeel Al-Jubouri, DJ Jang and Alex Arteaga present their group project, City Within in a City, to a panel of judges.
Students present 3D printed robotic concepts to support their AD-002 design to a panel of judges. Groups reimagined designs for Houston’s Astrodome to meet various scenarios of commercial and public land use.
Students present 3D printed robotic concepts to support their AD-002 design to a panel of judges. Groups reimagined designs for Houston’s Astrodome to meet various scenarios of commercial and public land use.
From left: Senior architecture students Ashley Gonzalez, Taylor Henderson and Erada Zeyna pose for a photo after presenting their Astrostage concept to a panel of judges.
From left: Senior architecture students Ashley Gonzalez, Taylor Henderson and Erada Zeyna pose for a photo after presenting their Astrostage concept to a panel of judges.
A 3D printed rendition of the Interdome student project reimagines the Astrodome as corporate office space.
A 3D printed rendition of the Interdome student project reimagines the Astrodome as corporate office space.
“The people in Houston care about the Astrodome because it has been a very iconic structure, however, it is largely also generational,” Kyropoulou said. “With time, people are less emotionally attached, but those that have seen it open have experienced its glory as a representation of Houston flourishing.”
Throughout the semester, students examined sustainability, life-cycle assessment, adaptive reuse and community engagement as drivers of redevelopment. Working in teams, they designed proposals based on one of five potential uses:
- Civic center with corporate offices
- Food ecosystem hub with grocery, production and retail
- Data infrastructure hub
- Logistics and robotics center
- Media production campus
The course gave students hands-on experience assessing structural constraints, designing in dense urban environments, collaborating with a team and participating in public conversations about historic preservation. They also conducted advanced environmental simulations — work not typically required in their studios.
A Complex Challenge
The projects also brought various challenges for students, from the Astrodome’s enormous scale and structural limitations to its proximity to NRG Stadium. Students produced seven team projects, each illustrating a distinct approach to adaptive reuse and preservation. Many explored opening portions of the stadium’s roof to create a hybrid indoor-outdoor environment.
One team reimagined the Astrodome as a media production campus and venue called Astrostage, blending the site’s entertainment history with modern production and positioning Houston as the next Hollywood. The concept includes an omni theater and a soundstage and could theoretically draw from the $300 million allocated biennially through Senate Bill 22 to support Texas’ film industry.
Seniors Ashley Gonzalez, Taylor Henderson and Erada Zeyna said the project challenged them to balance the structure’s scale with the political and public sensitivities surrounding its future.
“Honoring what it was is super important,” Henderson said. “The many opinions that will come out of any proposal are just a part of it, but I hope that it doesn’t just sit there devoid of energy — it’s the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
A blueprint of the Astrostage concept depicts the structure as a media production campus and entertainment venue.
A blueprint of the Astrostage concept depicts the structure as a media production campus and entertainment venue.
In addition to an omni theater, Astrostage would feature a soundstage, actor bungalows, costume storage, and editing, listening and recording studios.
In addition to an omni theater, Astrostage would feature a soundstage, actor bungalows, costume storage, and editing, listening and recording studios.
Another team — seniors Linzhen Chew and Alfred Rivera — designed AD-002, an automated logistics and robotics center that would support operations at the Texas Medical Center and Houston Ship Channel.
Their proposal preserves much of the Astrodome’s iconic interior while adding a fabrication lab, prosthetics center and Astrodome legacy museum. A self-sustaining logistics facility would be housed on the basement level.
“We wanted not just a warehouse but an interaction between the Houstonians and people outside of Houston to see this Astrodome and be able to interact, be able to feel what it once was, because we didn’t change much of the interior,” Chew said.
AD-002's blueprint showcases the ground-level and first floor views of the project.
AD-002's blueprint showcases the ground-level and first floor views of the project.
AD-002 would incorporate robotics into the facility, featuring drones and autonomous vehicles traversing the hub.
AD-002 would incorporate robotics into the facility, featuring drones and autonomous vehicles traversing the hub.
Results on Display
The semester culminated with students presenting their in-depth blueprints, advanced computational simulations, renderings and two-minute videos to college leaders and alums working in the design industry, who provided feedback on their proposals.
“Amazon’s sponsorship brought with it a stipulation that the teams focus on a particular category of use,” Hines College Dean Patricia Belton Oliver said. “This forced the students to concentrate their design energies on a singular design challenge. In each case, they accomplished an extraordinary level of analysis to back up their uniquely specific design proposals.”
The Datadome student project imaged the Astrodome as a data infrastructure hub.
The Datadome student project imaged the Astrodome as a data infrastructure hub.
The Astrobiome project imagined the structure as a food ecosystem hub.
The Astrobiome project imagined the structure as a food ecosystem hub.
Astrobiome would feature solar farms, aeroponics/vertical farming, aquaponics, hygroscopic salt surfaces and other sustainable features.
Astrobiome would feature solar farms, aeroponics/vertical farming, aquaponics, hygroscopic salt surfaces and other sustainable features.
The Datadome project depicts the space as a data infrastructure hub with a public concourse, digital library archive, research lab and interpretative gallery.
The Datadome project depicts the space as a data infrastructure hub with a public concourse, digital library archive, research lab and interpretative gallery.
The Astronexus project depicted the structure as a corporate office space.
The Astronexus project depicted the structure as a corporate office space.
All seven projects will be on public display during college hours at UH’s Mashburn Gallery from Dec. 17-Jan. 29.
Students also have the opportunity for their work to be displayed at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Houston’s exhibit in the first quarter of 2026. The AIA’s exhibit, taking place at Architecture Center Houston, will feature past proposals from designers, architects, engineers and students who have envisioned new uses for the Astrodome.
Regardless of which student projects are selected, Kyropoulou said the course’s greatest accomplishment is the students’ engagement in an ongoing civic conversation.
“They enjoy being part of this conversation in a way that gives them a lot of exposure,” she said.
An interior rendering of the Astrostage project.
An interior rendering of the Astrostage project.
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