Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

photo credit: Shayne Hensley

El Intercombio (The Interchange) is the central campus pedestrian

mall and public art centerpiece of the Paul L. Foster SOM located

at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso, TX.  Hodges

collaborated with artist Larry Kirkland in the design of the mall. 

The central green space links research and academic facilities,

providing a unique public art and landscape experience in the

middle of the new campus.

On either side of the mall large sunken turf areas offer ample

green space for frisbee, lounging outdoors and serve as stormwater

detention ponds.  Rainwater is directed from the buildings and

parking lots into these areas where it ponds temporarily before

infiltrating into the sandy soils of the Rio Grande valley.