PBK Architects is overseeing the design process of both new projects, which were included in the $1.76 billion bond program passed in 2019. Officials at the time said they estimated the arts center would cost $46.6 million and the administration building would cost $65.9 million.
Both facilities will be located on the same 26-acre property off Hwy. 290 next to Cy-Fair High School. Officials with PBK Architects said this is an efficient use of the site, which will have approximately 1,050 parking spaces between the two facilities.
The construction process for the site is slated to kick off in May after the board of trustees approves a contract April 8.
Trustee Julie Hinaman helped lead the district’s 2019 bond committee, which identified the need for these two new facilities, among others.
“I’m so excited for students to have a facility like this to showcase their work and to hone their craft and to develop those skills,” Hinaman said at a Dec. 14 board meeting. “I’m pleased that our employees who work so hard will have a good work environment for them to do their work and to serve our district in.”
The all-inclusive arts facility is designed to host band, orchestra, dance and other fine arts programming with a seating capacity of 1,500.
Brandon Ross, a representative with PBK Architects, said auditoriums on high school campuses in the district seat between 800-900, but the district needed to expand options to accommodate roughly 1,600 annual student performances.
In addition to the two-balcony auditorium, there will be a small theater that seats up to 200, a dance studio, a visual arts room and spaces for art displays in the lobby. The district’s fine arts offices will also be located in this facility, officials said.
Next door, the new 221,000-square-foot administration building has been designed with efficiency in mind. Employee offices will be organized by department throughout the building’s five stories. About 700 employees are set to work out of this building, but Ross said there is room to accommodate for future district growth.
Superintendent Mark Henry said one problem this new facility will address is a lack of sufficient conference space. Areas designated for public access, such as the boardroom and conference center, are in a separate wing from district offices, and employees will have separate entrances from the public for security purposes.
See the full board presentation from PBK Architects here.
