Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Sam Houston State University Arts Complex Breaks Ground

  • 12/10/18

A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) in Huntsville, TX, for the new Arts Complex, designed by GUND Partnership. A new model for visual arts buildings, it brings together arts programs from eight buildings across campus into a dynamic new center where students can pursue traditional arts studies and explore new digital arts programs like animation under one roof. The entry level of the complex invites the larger community in with a dramatic two-story gallery to exhibit work and flexible event space for artist’s talks and lectures.

San Houston State University Arts Complex

The school’s signature WASH program (Workshop in Art Studio and History) moves into the building from its previous off-campus space. This highly successful introduction to the arts gives SHSU students a broad exposure to all aspects of the programs offered, with classroom and hands-on learning experiences.

The new, 70,325-square-foot, four-story building includes classrooms, labs, and studios for painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, graphic design, animation, ceramics, wood and metal sculpture, WASH, faculty offices, indoor and outdoor galleries, working courtyards for ceramics, sculpture and WASH studios, and a student commons.

Sustainability is a key factor in the design, the new Arts Complex features state-of-the-art mechanical systems to handle the specialized ventilation needs of arts processes to support a healthy and safe environment for students and faculty.

The Arts Complex is expected to be complete in fall 2019. 

Featured

  • Compton High School

    Compton High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Compton High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.