ALLEN, Texas—VLK Architects was recently awarded the Caudill Award for the design of the Allen ISD STEAM Center in Allen, Texas, a city of approximately 85,000, located 23 miles north of Dallas.

The jury noted the design of the Allen STEAM Center stood out due to its “innovation that solved community needs and enrollment growth while looking to the horizon for determining future student interests and skills” and how the “total shift in culture occurred with an explosion of STEAM interest across the district.”

The two-story arc-shaped building was designed with separate high school STEAM and elementary/middle school experience designated entrances with the intention to provide a foundational system promoting curiosity, cultivating future-ready skills, and preparing Allen ISD students for success in STEAM-related areas.

The Caudill Award is the highest honor in the TASA/TASB Exhibit of School Architecture (EoSA) competition. Allen STEAM was also the only project in the EoSA Competition that received all six Stars of Distinction awards.

The STEAM Center offers specialized spaces such as engineering and robotics labs, computer labs, computer maintenance instructional programs, science and physics labs, math classrooms, and studios for the architecture and interior design programs.

Collaboration spaces, common areas, and huddle rooms are situated throughout the facility to provide a range of places for groups to collaborate on projects. Throughout the center, visibility and transparency across disciplines creates an open co-creative atmosphere that provides younger students a window to the advanced upper classes. The design integrates a rich outdoor setting, providing learning trails and ecological zones for exploration.

“The Allen ISD STEAM Center is a unique facility that empowers our students to engage in experiential learning,” said Robyn Bullock, Allen ISD Superintendent, in a statement.

“From the tranquil outdoor trails and pond, the hands-on makerspace labs, and the carefully planned science labs and classrooms, the STEAM Center provides our students the opportunity to engage in future-focused STEAM lessons and activities. We are proud to have partnered with VLK throughout the design process to create our one-of-a-kind facility that is helping build innovative and collaborative skillsets for all students.”

The new STEAM Center supports innovative instruction across the district, offering Kindergarteners to 12^th-grade students more than 100,000 square feet of increased exposure to science, technology, engineering, art and math-integrated experiences.

“We are so proud to have received the Caudill Award in recognition of this incredible project,” said Sloan Harris, CEO | Partner of VLK Architects, in a statement.

“Our team’s exploration and research in what this facility could be founded the design that became real innovation in a learning environment, centered around Allen ISD’s bold vision for this one-of-a-kind school. We are grateful for the partnership with Allen ISD and to be a part of this project.”

The Allen STEAM Center also recently received a Merit Award at the 2020 AIAFW Excellence in Architecture.

Cadence McShane Construction of Addison, Texas, was the general contractor on this impressive project.

Student enrollment has more than doubled since 1989 in the Allen Independent School District, which serves than 20,780 in grades K-12. Students attend one of 18 elementary schools, three middle schools, one freshman center, and one high school staffed by 2,660 Allen ISD employees.

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BAYTOWN, Texas—Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District recently broke ground on its new Elementary School #17 in Baytown, which is located within the Houston metropolitan area.

The approximately $20.5 million elementary school is one of the major components of the $335 million bond that the district passed in May 2019 to address its rapid growth. Driven by massive growth in southeast Houston, this property-wealthy district is projecting more than 2,250 new students over the next decade.

The new 102,000-square-foot facility, located on 18 acres, will comprise individual PreK-5 educational wings, a media center, a gym, playgrounds, and outdoor learning areas. The design is a prototype that the District has constructed in the recent past. The District is in the early stages of selecting a name for the school.

“Goose Creek CISD is excited to be able to adequately support the needs of our growing community with the addition of this elementary school to the north side of the District,” said Brenda Garcia, director of facilities planning and construction at Goose Creek CISD.

“The groundbreaking of Elementary School #17 marks another milestone in the district’s efforts to manage its explosive growth and provide students the educational needs of the 21st century,” said JP Grom, vice president at Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), the firm serving as the program manager for the bond program.

PBK designed the facility and Drymalla Construction Company is the general contractor. The new elementary school is scheduled for completion in January 2022.

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BAYTOWN, Texas—Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District’s (GCCISD) recently broke ground on November 18 for its new San Jacinto Elementary School in Baytown, which is located in the Houston metropolitan area.

With a completion date slated for December 2021, the approximately $22.6 million elementary school is one of the major components of the $335 million bond that the district passed in May 2019 to address its rapid growth. Driven by massive growth in southeast Houston, this property-wealthy district is projecting more than 2,250 new students over the next decade.

“The District is very excited to provide the children and families in this community a campus we know they will be proud of. It will also be an anchor in a long-awaited revitalization project for the West Baytown neighborhood,” said Brenda Garcia, director of facilities planning and construction at GCCISD, in a statement.

“Through the collaboration with community members, local businesses and the City of Baytown, the new San Jacinto Elementary School will continue its rich history and legacy.”

Lockwood, Andrews & Newman (LAN) is serving as the program manager for the bond program.

“The groundbreaking of the new San Jacinto Elementary School marks an important achievement toward managing the district’s growth and providing its students the educational needs of the 21st century,” said JP Grom, vice president at Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc., in a statement.

The new campus is located just a few blocks away from the current San Jacinto Elementary, which will be retired. To ensure the campus stayed a neighborhood school, the District worked diligently with surrounding businesses to acquire the land necessary to construct the new school.

Spanning 102,000 square feet, the facility will accommodate 800 students from grades PreK-5. It includes a media center, gym, playgrounds, multiple computer labs per grade level, and an outdoor learning center.

PBK Architects is the architect on this impressive project. Marshall Construction is the general contractor.

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MIDLOTHIAN, Texas—A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held to celebrate the renovation and construction of an addition to Midlothian Independent School District’s Heritage High School in Midlothian.

Located in northwest Ellis County, 25 miles southwest of Dallas, the $53 million project includes a 185,000-square-foot addition to Heritage High School, adding a second-level classroom wing, two gymnasiums, a fine arts complex, cafeteria expansion, and four new athletic facilities.

With a completion date slated for Summer 2022, the project will also include renovations to the existing high school and gymnasium spaces, a new football field, a new entrance pavilion, and parking lot expansions. 

VLK Architects is the architect on this impressive project. Adolfson & Peterson Construction is the general contractor.

“We are both proud and excited to partner with Midlothian ISD and Adolfson & Peterson in the realization of Phase 2 of the master plan of Heritage High School,” said Ross Rivers, principal, VLK Architects, in a statement.

“We believe in fostering an environment where every student can discover their passions and reach their unlimited potential,” added Dr. Lane Ledbetter, Superintendent of Schools. “Thanks to the support of our community, we can create new opportunities at Heritage High School that will benefit our students for many years to come.”

Established in 1906, the Midlothian Independent School District is a fast-growing K-12 public school district with more than 9,800 students and 1,100 employees. Comprised of 12 campuses, MISD focuses on innovative learning environments of academic and vocational student interests.

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This facility is the largest project included in the district’s 2018 bond and will serve 1,200 middle school students in grades six through eight. This school comes as a much-needed addition after rapid growth within RCISD.

“The new Bobby Summers Middle School is a new paradigm in what middle schools will be in the future,” said Sloan Harris, CEO, VLK Architects, the architecture firm on the project. “We are so appreciative that Royse City ISD had led us to drive the design forward and deliver a new state of the art campus for its students.”

VLK Architects was hired to help the school district meet the challenge of planning the 2018 bond after more than a decade since the district’s last bond election. VLK worked alongside RCISD Superintendent Kevin Worth, district leaders, and a community-based bond planning committee. Northstar Builders Group was the general contractor.

Through a collaborative process, members of the community were provided district demographic and financial data, along with potential project scope and costs to evaluate needs and set priorities, and successfully achieved a 79 percent pass rate.

Designed to promote outdoor engagement, the building features a centrally located secure courtyard and large windows to allow daylight to fill the space. The multipurpose courtyard area located just outside of the cafeteria functions as a staging area; it will further serve as a meeting space for significant events, classes, and additional play space.

Multipurpose furniture will be placed on tracks that can be moved based on the space needed. The design is specified to be environmentally friendly by using a rainwater collection tank to further aid in landscaping. The classrooms and science labs for each grade are placed around large central collaboration spaces featuring tiered seating, presentation capabilities, writeable surfaces, and flexible furniture. These spaces can accommodate multiple classrooms simultaneously in order to provide the district with the flexibility to extend the learning environment beyond the classroom.

The dedication of Bobby Summers Middle School was a proud moment for our community,” said Royse City ISD Superintendent Kevin Worthy, in a statement.

“This project was met with great community support and involvement. Opening the doors to this beautiful and innovative new school will be a joyous occasion. Generations of students will grow and thrive in the thoughtful spaces of Bobby Summers Middle School.”

The Royse City Independent School District, located 30 miles east of Dallas, encompasses 74.48 square miles within a tri-county boundary: Rockwall, Collin, and Hunt Counties. Accredited by the Texas Education Agency, the district provides quality education for PreK-12th grade. Also provided are special education programs for gifted and talented, and special needs students. The high school offers advanced placement classes along with dual credit courses.

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Tomball, Texas—Several projects in the Tomball Independent School District’s $275 million bond program are moving forward, with two of the projects—Grand Oaks Elementary School and a new agricultural science project center—scheduled to open in August. Tomball is part of the Houston metropolitan area.

Tomball ISD is considered one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas. The bond package provided funds for numerous new facilities, including an elementary school, a junior high school, a district-wide athletic complex, a natatorium for Tomball Memorial High School, and an agricultural science project center for Tomball High School.

“We have faced various challenges from delays in land acquisition to changes in building code regulations after Hurricane Harvey to issues related to county building permits,” said JP Grom, vice president of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), which is serving as the program manager.

“Despite these challenges, we are on course to completing several major projects over the next 14 months. These facilities will serve Tomball ISD students for the next 50 to 75 years and provide them the environment and infrastructure needed to succeed in the 21st century.”

Added Tomball ISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora., “We are excited about the progress of our projects and for the opening of Grand Oaks Elementary and our agricultural science project center in August. It has been wonderful partnering with LAN during this time as our projects continue to run smoothly despite many unforeseen challenges we have faced along the way.”

Three of the biggest projects in the bond program— Grand Oaks Elementary School, Grand Lakes Junior High School and the district-wide athletic stadium and community center (no official name yet)—are part of the new greenfield master planned Elmer and Dorothy Beckendorf Educational Complex located at the northwest corner of Cypress Rosehill Road and SH 99 (Grand Parkway).

The three projects, which broke ground in May 2019, were designed by PBK Architects and are being constructed by the Gilbane Building Company. Infrastructure support for the entire complex will be provided by new water and wastewater treatment plants owned by the district.

The approximately $24 million Grand Oaks Elementary School will relieve Wildwood and Lakewood Elementary Schools. The 112,186-square-foot, single-story facility will accommodate 900 students from grades K-4. The new elementary school is scheduled to be completed in August.

The $43.26 million Grand Lakes Junior High School will relieve Willow Wood Junior High School. The 228,346-square-foot, single-story building will house 1,500 students in grades 7 and 8. The school will also have its own football stadium for track and field events, as well as a football and soccer practice field. The new junior high school is scheduled for a July 2021 completion.

The $37.29 million new district-wide athletic complex will serve Tomball ISD’s football, soccer, arts and band programs. Scheduled to be completed in May 2021, the stadium will seat 10,000 spectators with a 12,200-square-foot press box and accommodate 3,000 parking spaces. At the north end of the stadium is a two-level, 25,000-square-foot community facility with a conference center, sports locker/dressing rooms, athletic training, kitchen and administration areas for sporting events. The current football stadium has 7,500 seats and 2,000 parking spaces.

The district is also building a new natatorium on the Tomball Memorial High School campus. This 26,000-square-foot facility will house a 25-yard stretch pool with an 8-lane competitive swimming area and a diving area, separated by a floating bulkhead. Support spaces include locker rooms for athletes and coaches, a training room, offices and associated equipment rooms. Stantec Inc. is the architect and Gamma Construction Company is the general contractor. The $10.56 million natatorium will be completed this December.

A new agricultural science project center is also under construction at the Tomball High School campus. This center will house an agricultural barn and support facilities for the school’s agricultural programs, and an instructional nature center with two classrooms measuring 900 square feet each. The $4.97 million facility, which was designed by VLK Architects, will be completed in August. Sterling Structures, Inc. is the project’s general contractor.

In addition to the new facilities, the bond program includes an expansion project that will increase Tomball Memorial High School’s capacity from 2,250 to 3,000 students. The expansion, totaling 155,000 square feet, will increase the number of classrooms, science labs, Center for Adaptive Technology in Education (CATE) labs, gymnasiums and provide more space for performing arts and dining areas. Approximately 54,000 square feet of athletic and performing arts areas and CATE instructional areas will also be renovated. Texas-IBI Group, Inc. is the architect and ICI Construction, Inc. is constructing the project. The $36.5 million project will be completed next June.

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DENTON, Texas—VLK Architects was recently awarded a 2019 Gold Brick in Architecture Award for Ray Braswell High School, located in Denton, by the Brick Industry Association (BIA).

For more than three decades, the BIA has sponsored one of the country’s most prestigious architectural award programs—the Brick in Architecture Awards. This award has become the nation’s premiere architectural award featuring clay brick.

“I am thrilled that Braswell High School was selected for the Gold award for Brick in Architecture Awards,” said Justin Hiles, Chief Operations Officer, VLK Architects, in a statement/

This $114.5 million project was a collaborative effort between Balfour Beatty and DMG Masonry.

Hiles said the design was intended to announce the arrival to Denton ISD, and more importantly, serve as a hub for the growing 380 corridor.

“By selecting local Denton brick as the primary building material, we were able to highlight a key local material to achieve this goal.”

The high school spans 532,000 square feet and sits on 108 acres. Named after Dr. Ray Braswell, who served Denton Independent School District for more than 30 years, was completed in 2016. More than a year and a half of planning and design, plus two and a half years of construction went into the delivery of this transformative learning facility.

The school opened in 2016 and serves families in the growing communities along the U.S. Highway 380 corridor. The school is named after retired Denton ISD teacher, administrator and superintendent, Dr. Ray Braswell, who led the district during tremendous growth.

Designed as a focal point for the community, flexible features and spaces encourage the campus to be used for community-focused events. Academic and extracurricular offerings bring pride to the school and the families served by the four “learning houses” that naturally create smaller learning communities, providing students with individualized instruction.

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HOUSTON—Several school projects in the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District’s (CISD) $335 million bond program are progressing rapidly, even amidst the current coronavirus pandemic.

Considered one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas, Goose Creek CISD is driven by massive growth in southeast Houston, with a projection of more than 2,250 new students over the next decade.

To accommodate this rapid growth, voters approved the passing of a new bond measure in June 2019, which provides funds for several projects, including new construction, aging school repairs, athletic improvements, safety and security improvements, and technology upgrades.

 “The district has been working hard to deliver exceptional facilities that will prepare students for their future,” said JP Grom, vice president of Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), which is serving as the program manager.

“COVID 19 hasn’t stopped the district’s efforts. In fact, the district has accelerated some of the projects in this bond program.”

Goose Creek CISD superintendent Randal O’Brien concurred and said in a statement. “In the face of so many challenges from COVID-19, I’m thrilled to see our bond construction programs moving forward without delay. We look forward to the opening of our new projects.”

Edward Franklin “E.F.” Green Junior School is one of the biggest projects that broke ground last month. Named after the first African American educator to serve as a district-level administrator in Goose Creek, the $49.6 million facility is the district’s sixth junior school.

When completed next summer, the 192,000-square-foot school will house 1,100 students and include a 700-seat auditorium, dual competition gyms, media center, multiple computer labs per grade level, band hall, choir and theater programs. Pfluger Architects served as the project’s designer and the contractor is Pogue Construction.

The district’s existing San Jacinto Elementary School will soon be replaced with a new elementary school located just a few blocks away from its current location. With a completion date slated for December 2021, this new school will accommodate 800 students. Spanning 102,000 square feet, it will include a media center, gym, multiple computer labs per grade level, and an outdoor learning center. Designed by PBK Architects, the $22.5 million elementary school will be constructed by Marshall Construction.

The district is also adding a new Elementary School No. 17 to its current facility inventory. This elementary school— in a new master planned subdivision—will serve the rapidly growing north side of the district. The 102,000-square-foot facility will house 800 students and includes a media center, gym, multiple computer labs per grade level and an outdoor learning center. Originally scheduled for construction in fall 2021, the $22.5 million project has been moved up an entire year. PBK Architects is the designer.

The district is also expanding its Stuart Career and Technical Education (CTE) high school from 400 to 900 students. The CTE facility—originally an elementary school—has since been renovated for different uses, ranging from an administrative building to a special education facility. The latest renovations include the addition of a transportation academy, new welding lab, vet clinic, floral shop, IT academy and audio/video academy.

The $12.5 million project will renovate more than 60,000 square-foot of existing space and add a new 54,000-square-foot academic and administrative wing. The first two phases of the CTE facility were completed as part of the 2013 bond program. Phase 3 of the project, which is currently underway, will be completed in August 2020 while phase 4 will be completed next summer. Pfluger Architects is serving as the designer.

The renovation of the Robert E. Lee High School Auditorium is also underway. With a completion date set for January 2021, this historic 1,700-seat auditorium once served as the lone theater for the entire Baytown community in the 1950s and 1960s and was considered the premier theater in the greater Houston area. The $4.2 million renovation project will restore the auditorium to its original design aesthetic and include the latest theatrical improvements. The auditorium will be fitted with new lighting and audio systems, a new green room, new dressing rooms, new theater seating, new restroom layouts and a ticket booth/concession area. Huckabee is the project’s architect and it will be renovated by Comex Corp. Contractors.

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AUSTIN, Texas—The recently completed $28 million Menchaca Elementary School for the Austin Independent School District is a design-build project that has replaced an existing campus in a growing area of south Austin.

The 98,600-square-foot campus was originally conceived as a single building with interior circulation, but the design evolved through an extensive process that engaged teachers, parents and students. LPA Inc. was the architect on this impressive project. Joeris General Contractors was the general contractor.

The design features a collection of three buildings with shaded outdoor collaboration spaces designed around the existing heritage oak trees. The buildings form two courtyards linked by a second-story bridge that houses an innovative library media center and makerspaces specifically designed for the school. More than 30 percent of the site is open, vegetated space, creating direct links between the outdoors and learning environments.

With a build-out capacity of 870 students—this will account for the growth of this diverse city and the evolution of the District’s Strategic Plan. The entire process went from programming to permitting in six months.

Sustainability and energy efficiency were incorporated into every aspect of the design. Indoor water usage was cut by 30 percent and the overall energy use was reduced by 20 percent, primarily through passive measures such as building orientation, shading and strategic use of natural light. The campus is designed to meet LEED Silver certification, including a commitment to air quality and overall wellness for the students and faculty.

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DENTON, Texas –In early March, a “Foundation Celebration” was held in Denton, Texas for the new Denton High School. The theme of this event was “Cementing the Foundation,” which was incorporated into the ceremony. Denton High School alumni placed rocks into a cement grinder, which were mixed into the foundation of the building, theoretically leaving the legacy of DISD for future students.

“The new Denton High School is the epitome of a legacy project for our firm, but more importantly, it’s a legacy project for Denton ISD,” said Sloan Harris, CEO/Partner, VLK Architects.

“The new Denton High School is the perfect culmination of a district dedicated to the success and well-being of all its students, the community’s engagement in the visioning of the project, and design that truly captures the core values and voices of education leaders and students. The new DHS is a beacon of next-generation educational design that will serve its community for decades to come.”

The construction of the $160 million school is part of the DISD 2018 Bond program, approved overwhelmingly by voters. When completed in 2022, the new 490,000-square-foot high school will serve 2,200 students in a world-class facility consisting of a 1,900-seat gymnasium, 800-seat auditorium, a centralized media center, and a large student commons overlooking an expansive courtyard. Northstar Builders Group is the general contractor.

Three competition gyms, a fine arts corridor, outdoor performance space, and several sports fields have also been incorporated into the plans, as well as a competition football field which will serve for junior varsity games.

The architecture of the new facility is traditional, with arched windows and a tall domed rotunda entryway, which serves as the focal point of the design. Within this rotunda, the legacy of the Denton Independent School District will be depicted using elements from the 136-year history of Denton High School. The existing Denton High School bronco will be relocated and placed atop the domed entry rotunda within this new campus. The newly relocated bronco, overlooking the city of Denton, will welcome new students and serve as a reminder of the roots of Denton High School.

“We wanted to carry on the theme apparent throughout the city of Denton of design symmetry that draws you into the building,” said Joel Hays, Principal, Denton ISD.

“The team at VLK Architects allowed us to drive them around and show them some of this unique architecture. In a couple of years, when you walk into this building, you will see these elements incorporated in the design of Denton High School.”

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