B.T.W. High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Competition
Dallas, TX USA
Dallas, TX USA
Dallas had embarked on anambitious plan to create a vibrant downtown arts district when the NationalEndowment for the Arts sponsored a competition to expand Booker T. WashingtonHigh School. Charles Rose Architects, one of four finalists, sought to infusethe newly expanded school with the energy and educational mission it sharedwith the museums, theaters, and other distinguished arts buildings nearby.
Competitionrules stated that the school’s existing brick building must be preserved. Ourdesign did that and also responded to the site’s gritty urban character: wepushed masses to the site’s northern, eastern and southern perimeters andcreated blunt sculptural forms—muscular masses that stand up to the adjacentfreeways, city streets and rubble lots. Most notably, our design creates asouthwest-facing courtyard that opens to the Arts District and city skyline. Asvisitors enter the main entrance on the southwest corner, the shard-like formsof the roofscape emerge; some angle down into the courtyard. Our intention wasto create an intriguing topographical element; the roofs contrast with theoverall flatness of the area. These constructed planes are also visualreferences to the city’s freeway overpasses and offer a series of vantagepoints from which to view the school and surrounding area. The roofs aredesigned to be planted with sod to reduce heat gain in hot months.
Interiorsare designed to foster fortuitous encounters that could spark collaborationbetween artistic disciplines. Corridor space is minimized. Galleries aredesigned to function dually as pathways through the school; openness and interactionare supported by our design throughout the school.
Competitionrules stated that the school’s existing brick building must be preserved. Ourdesign did that and also responded to the site’s gritty urban character: wepushed masses to the site’s northern, eastern and southern perimeters andcreated blunt sculptural forms—muscular masses that stand up to the adjacentfreeways, city streets and rubble lots. Most notably, our design creates asouthwest-facing courtyard that opens to the Arts District and city skyline. Asvisitors enter the main entrance on the southwest corner, the shard-like formsof the roofscape emerge; some angle down into the courtyard. Our intention wasto create an intriguing topographical element; the roofs contrast with theoverall flatness of the area. These constructed planes are also visualreferences to the city’s freeway overpasses and offer a series of vantagepoints from which to view the school and surrounding area. The roofs aredesigned to be planted with sod to reduce heat gain in hot months.
Interiorsare designed to foster fortuitous encounters that could spark collaborationbetween artistic disciplines. Corridor space is minimized. Galleries aredesigned to function dually as pathways through the school; openness and interactionare supported by our design throughout the school.
