Texas High School Debuts Arts Program Expansion

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/02/21

Melissa High School in Melissa, Texas, recently completed a 65,000-square-foot expansion in conjunction with the Perkins&Will Dallas studio. The new space includes a new practice gymnasium, an extension of the student union, a new performance theater, and an addition to the fine arts program.

Perkins&Will Melissa High School

The fine arts program addition includes a new entryway, lobby, 1,000-seat auditorium, and other amenities like rehearsal spaces, a percussion hall outfitted with live recording capabilities, and a scene shop. One goal of the project was to highlight the district’s commitment to and passion for the arts.

Perkins&Will Melissa High School

A design narrative explains how Perkins&Will worked with the school’s existing architecture, tying together old and new. A “garden zone” of native plants complements the school’s natural landscape with the main lobby entrance, as well as serving as a gathering place for event overflow. The fine arts wing was designed to be as flexible as possible regarding spacing, lighting, acoustics, and more.

Perkins&Will Melissa High School
Photos courtesy of Charles Davis Smith

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Greenheck Launches New Series of Rooftop Units

    Air movement, control, and conditioning solutions provider Greenheck recently launched a new line of rooftop units that merge the conveniences of traditional rooftop ventilators and dedicated outdoor air systems, according to a news release. The Model RT controls temperature and humidity for indoor comfort.

  • Enjoy Tax and Energy Savings with the Right Ceiling Solutions

    Thanks to recent innovations pairing mineral fiber ceiling panels with phase change material technology (PCM), architects, designers, facility managers, and other key players in construction and renovation projects are re-thinking the role ceilings play in supporting environmental objectives—especially energy savings.

  • Austin International School Library Renovation

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Austin International School has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis Through Creative Campus Development

    Many Southern California college and university campuses are living amidst surging housing costs, driving the need to house more of their populations on campus. Especially for community colleges, the need to support millions of unhoused and housing insecure students has become a prominent issue that lawmakers and institutions alike are trying to solve.

Digital Edition