2020—James Reese Career & Technical Center

Fort Bend ISD—James Reese Career & Technical Center
Architect: Stantec

Located on a 23-acre site within a suburban master planned community, the James Reese Career and Technical Center (CTC) is a two-story, 164,490 SF facility serving daily approximately 1,000 students from across FBISD. The new CTC provides classrooms, labs, and collaboration space to support multiple specialized career and technical programs and engage students of all ages across the district. The CTC houses 5 enterprise programs that offer services to the public both during and after hours.

Design—Star of DistinctionDesign

  • Driving the exterior design were the aesthetic guidelines of the surrounding masterplanned community and the desire for an identifiable educational institution
  • The CTC is organized around four career pillars and designed to promote cross curricular collaboration between students and faculty
  • Enterprise locations within these pillars provide hands-on job training and serve the local community
  • Design modifications were required mid-construction in response to the discovery of an unmarked gravesite

Value—Star of DistinctionValue

  • The CTC brings community, industry, and business partners to the table in defining skills needed to support the career programs offered
  • The facility type and site location provided multiple fiscal benefits for the district
  • Providing students with a first-class facility and high technology equipment helps to better prepare them for entering the workforce shortly after graduation
  • Multi-functional spaces allow for maximum building utilization and flexibility

Sustainability

  • The CTC supports curriculum designed to facilitate education in energy and environmental awareness and conservation
  • Grow boxes located on campus encourage culinary art students to use locally grown produce in their dishes
  • Through a thoughtful design process, many sustainable features were included throughout and led to the facility pursuing LEED certification
  • The historic preservation efforts of the discovered gravesite provide a learning opportunity for the students and surrounding community

Community—Star of DistinctionCommunity

  • The CTC is a beacon of inspiration by providing a space that not only serves the students will but also benefit the surrounding community
  • The facility brings students from the different high schools in the district together under one roof and fosters a sense of camaraderie and collaboration
  • The CTC is heavily engaged with the community by reaching out, inviting in, and partnering with local community members

Planning—Star of DistinctionPlanning

  • The iterative planning process created a feedback loop with district and industry stakeholders to ensure their voice was heard and developed at every step
  • Career paths were evaluated multiple times throughout planning to uphold the authenticity of the educational program and student experience
  • The process resulted in a more robust design, provided marketplace validation, supported upstream education, and created early adopters that were invested in developing a successful program

School Transformation

  • The new facility better prepares students for their future path, whether it is post-secondary education, immediate entry into the workforce, or a combination of both
  • Through the CTC the district can foster relationships with local businesses to support continued economic growth and development of the surrounding community
  • The new facility builds upon and advances the District’s existing CTE program offerings

Stars of Distinction Star of Distinction Category Winner