Hines is getting into the coworking biz. Image courtesy of Hines

Houston-based real estate investor and developer Hines Interests LP is eyeing a piece of the burgeoning market for coworking space.

Hines just unveiled Hines², a platform for flexible office space at Hines-owned buildings. Hines² already is up and running at two locations: 717 Texas, a 33-story Class A office tower in Houston, and The Kearns Building, a 10-story office building in Salt Lake City.

Justin Boyar, director of market analytics at CoStar Group, a provider of commercial real estate data and analytics, points out that the two Hines buildings where Hines² has launched had vacancy rates of 48.6 percent (717 Texas in Houston) and 32.4 percent (Kearns Building in Salt Lake City) in the third quarter of this year.

Landlords like Hines increasingly are incorporating coworking into their office buildings "as a way to creatively entice tenants to buildings otherwise suffering high vacancy rates," Boyar says.

"Office landlords have been under siege this cycle by new space utilization trends — including increased density and efficiency, open floorplates, remote work, hoteling, and coworking," he says. "Office landlords now not only have to compete with structurally shrinking office demand but also with coworking providers who now offer hotel-like amenities and programming."

On the horizon are Hines² setups in markets such as Atlanta, Boston, Denver, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, D.C. Eventually, Hines plans to enter other markets in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

New York City-based Industrious, a provider of flexible workspace, is Hines' operating partner for the new venture. Industrious runs more than 80 flexible-workspace sites in more than 40 U.S. cities. Additionally, Hines has teamed up with New York City-based Convene to provide event management and meeting services.

"Hines' workplace services offering will serve as a complement to our existing office capabilities, strengthening our position as the preferred partner for tenants and investors around the world, without changing our risk profile or leasing strategy. It's a natural extension of our vertically integrated operating model," Charlie Kuntz, chief innovation officer at Hines, says in a release.

Inside Hines properties, Industrious will operate centers known as The Square, which will supply coworking and flexible-workspace options, meeting and event services, food, beverages, collaboration areas, and community programming.

"The Square is a direct response to the changing needs of our current and future building tenants — our core customers. Hines has a 60-plus-year track record of providing superior space and service, and flexible workspace and office hospitality are a logical progression for us," Kuntz says.

In the coworking sector, Hines goes up against established players like Regus and WeWork. Working to Hines' advantage in the increasingly competitive coworking field is that it already owns the office buildings where Hines² will operate.

Coworking ventures like Hines² continue to emerge, given that flexible workspace and shared-amenity spaces are projected to make up about 30 percent of the U.S. office market by 2030, according to a forecast from commercial real estate services company JLL. Today, coworking accounts for less than 1 percent of the U.S. office market, according to CoStar.

CoStar says Regus ranks first among U.S. providers of coworking space, with about 16.8 million square feet. At No. 2 is WeWork, with 14.8 million square feet. Boyar predicts WeWork might surpass Regus by the end of 2019 to claim the No. 1 spot.

Boyar says that Regus and WeWork still dwarf other coworking providers in terms of lease space, although he notes that Hines partner Industrious is one of the fastest-growing providers in the U.S.

Nearly 47 percent of coworking occupancy in the U.S. is spread among six major office markets, according to CoStar. They are New York City; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Boston; and Chicago.

Paul Leonard, managing consultant at CoStar Portfolio Strategy, says that although coworking is experiencing rapid growth, "it remains a small piece of the office universe and today is more of a collaborator with landlords than a competitor. That may change with time, but operators like WeWork have a far smaller share of office demand compared to other disruptors like Airbnb for hotels or Uber for rideshare and taxi services."

In Houston, coworking represents less than 0.5 percent of leased office space, or about 1.4 million square feet, according to Boyar. An estimated 190 buildings in the Houston area lease space to coworking tenants.

"Surprisingly, even this little amount of coworking space puts Houston in the conversation with the largest coworking markets in the U.S.," he says.

Boyar says it makes sense for Houston-based Hines to break into the coworking market in its hometown and elsewhere.

Hines is "seen by many industry insiders as the gold standard, so their foray into the coworking space represents an acceptance, of sorts, that coworking is here to stay," he says. "Subjectively, I think their partnership with Industrious and Convene represents formidable competition in the coworking space."

That being said, Boyar doubts Hines will embark on aggressive growth in coworking, as WeWork has. But he says Hines² "will allow them the ability to offer more flexible solutions to their tenants. If I were Hines, I would see this a risk worth taking."

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Houston students develop new device to prepare astronauts for outer space

space race

Rice University students from the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing designed a space exercise harness that is comfortable, responsive, and adaptable and has the potential to assist with complex and demanding spacewalks.

A group of students—Emily Yao, Nikhil Ashri, Jose Noriega, Ben Bridges and graduate student Jack Kalicak—mentored by assistant professor of mechanical engineering Vanessa Sanchez, modernized harnesses that astronauts use to perform rigorous exercises. The harnesses are particularly important in preparing astronauts for a reduced-gravity space environment, where human muscles and bones atrophy faster than they do on Earth. However, traditional versions of the harnesses had many limitations that included chafing and bruising.

The new harnesses include sensors for astronauts to customize their workouts by using real-time data and feedback. An additional two sensors measure astronauts’ comfort and exercise performance based on temperature and humidity changes during exercise and load distribution at common pressure points.

“Our student-led team addressed this issue by adding pneumatic padding that offers a customized fit, distributes pressure over a large surface area to reduce discomfort or injuries and also seamlessly adapts to load shifts — all of which together improved astronauts’ performance,” Sanchez said in a news release. “It was very fulfilling to watch these young engineers work together to find innovative and tangible solutions to real-world problems … This innovative adjustable exercise harness transforms how astronauts exercise in space and will significantly improve their health and safety during spaceflights.”

The project was developed in response to a challenge posted by the HumanWorks Lab and Life Science Labs at NASA and NASA Johnson Space Center for the 2025 Technology Collaboration Center’s (TCC) Wearables Workshop and University Challenge, where teams worked to solve problems for industry leaders.

Rice’s adaptive harness won the Best Challenge Response Award. It was funded by the National Science Foundation and Rice’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry.

“This challenge gave us the freedom to innovate and explore possibilities beyond the current harness technology,” Yao added in the release. “I’m especially proud of how our team worked together to build a working prototype that not only has real-world impact but also provides a foundation that NASA and space companies can build and iterate upon.”

Houston hospital performs first fully robotic heart transplant in the U.S.

robotic surgery

A team at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, led by Dr. Kenneth Liao, successfully performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in the United States earlier this year, the Houston hospital recently shared.

Liao, a professor and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and circulatory support at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, used a surgical robot to implant a new heart in a 45-year-old male patient through preperitoneal space in the abdomen by making small incisions.

The robotic technology allowed the medical team to avoid opening the chest and breaking the breast bone, which reduces the risk of infection, blood transfusions and excessive bleeding. It also leads to an easier recovery, according to Liao.

"Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient's recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants," Liao said in a news release. "With the robotic approach, we preserve the integrity of the chest wall, which reduces the risk of infection and helps with early mobility, respiratory function and overall recovery."

The patient received the heart transplant in March, after spending about four months in the hospital due to advanced heart failure. According to Baylor, he was discharged home after recovering from the surgery in the hospital for a month without complications.

"This transplant shows what is possible when innovation and surgical experience come together to improve patient care," Liao added in the release. "Our goal is to offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive procedures, and robotic technology allows us to do that in extraordinary ways."

7 can't miss Houston business and innovation events for July

where to be

Editor's note: While many Houstonians are flocking to vacation destinations, there are still plenty of opportunities to network and learn at tech and business events for those sticking close to home this month. From an inaugural biotech summit to the 12th edition of a local pitch showcase, here are the Houston business and innovation events you can't miss in July and how to register. Please note: this article might be updated to add more events.

July 10 - Out in Tech Mixer 

Out in Tech Houston provides an inclusive networking space for LGBTQ+ people and allies working in tech. Check out this relaxed, social-mixer event, hosted on the second Thursday of every month.

This event is Thursday, July 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Second Draught. Register here.

July 14 – Latinas in Tech Coworking Day 

Connect with fellow Latinas in the industry at Sesh Coworking. Network or work alongside peers, board members and community leaders in a shared office environment.

This event is Monday, July 14, from 9-11:30 a.m. at Sesh Coworking. Find more information here.

July 17 – UTMB Innovation VentureX Summit

Attend the inaugural UTMB Innovation VentureX Summit, where innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors will dive into the future of biotech. Expect panel discussions, fireside chats, a technology showcase and networking opportunities.

This event is Thursday, July 17, from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Find more information here.

July 17 – Open Project Night 

Collaborate on solutions for some of Houston’s most pressing issues at this month’s Open Project Night at Impact Hub Houston. Hear from guest speakers and listen to open mic pitches. July’s theme is Decent Work & Economic Growth.

This event is Thursday, July 17, from 5:30-7:30 p.m at Impact Hub Houston. Register here.

July 24 – NASA Tech Talks

Every fourth Thursday of the month, NASA experts, including longtime engineer Montgomery Goforth, present on technology development challenges NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the larger aerospace community are facing and how they can be leveraged by Houston’s innovation community. Stick around after for drinks and networking at Second Draught.

This event is Thursday, July 24, from 6-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

July 30 – Ion Bike Club

Join Bike Houston at the Ion for a 45-minute guided cruise through the Ion District and Midtown. Afterward, enjoy a complimentary beer and network with like-minded riders at Second Draught.

This event is Wednesday, July 30, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

July 31 – Bayou Startup Showcase

Hear pitches from startups and small businesses from Rice University’s OwlSpark and the University of Houston’s RED Labs accelerators at the 12th annual Bayou Startup Showcase. Read more about this year’s teams here.

This event is Thursday, July 31, from 3:30-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.