Forney ISD—Keith Bell Opportunity Central
Architects: Huckabee
“Storefronts owned by local entrepreneurs and run by students. High school classrooms that double and triple as higher learning and event spaces. An expansive lawn, collaborative zones, and a central arena. Opportunity Central brings 15 years of vision to life by merging career development, college preparation, and community engagement into one education facility, transforming the 21st-century paradigm for what a high school can be.
Nicknamed “The OC,” the building offers a new concept for career and college instruction that also engages the community through life-long learning, special events, wellness activities, business partnerships and more. The OC serves FISD students during school hours and remains open on evenings and weekends for college and community activities.
The OC features eateries, retail and services that are supported by students. Flexible and technology-rich learning space supports a range of CTE programs, dual-credit programs and college coursework. Co-working space is located on the first floor while the second and third floors feature classrooms, labs and multi-purpose instructional space.
An arena is located at the heart of the facility and features retractable seating on the first and second floors, along with instructional space on the third floor that overlooks the venue. Several spaces overlook the “front yard,” a green space that features a paved plaza, rolling hills and an outdoor venue. FISD worked diligently with business and college partners—including Dallas College and Texas Tech University—to ensure the highest quality programs for its students.”
Design
Flexibility is cornerstone to the OC’s design, founded on pillars of career, college, and community. Four classroom sizes serve every curriculum, learning modality, and vocation. Every classroom can host events. Windows in second-floor classrooms look onto an activity floor, allowing parents to observe a child’s ballet lessons. Third-floor classrooms double as VIP suites. The main entry opens to coworking space that becomes a gathering place when events happen on the lawn or in the arena.
Value
Year-round, from morning to night, the OC’s value is shared among all members of the community. Students learn to run on-campus businesses, while business owners learn social influencing skills from students. Students also earn by selling wares at the facility’s consignment shop. Forney residents take after-hours courses in everything from graphic design to real estate. An abundance of rentable space distinguishes the OC as a public education facility that generates revenue for its district.
Wellness
Hands-on experience with trade and business promotes mental health by connecting education to opportunity, answering the question so many struggle with in traditional institutions: “Why am I here?” Hallmarks of wellness-promoting design are also abundant—flexible Furniture offers choice, roof patios provide collaboration space, expansive glazing gazes across a green lawn to neighboring schools, and second-floor classrooms open to an activity floor for fitness, robotics, and more.
Community
A highway bisects Forney, and the district’s students are dispersed between two high schools, but the OC’s central location dissolves those barriers. The green logo, which mingles the yellow and blue of the existing schools, drives home the message of unity: if you’re in Forney, you’re part of the Forney family, and the OC is for you. It’s no wonder the community loves this building—here, they can get an oil change while getting a haircut before grabbing a coffee, all in support of students.
Planning
The planning process was as revolutionary as the facility itself. Instead of schools, the design team, the FISD cabinet, and the construction manager toured the Vegas container park, the San Francisco wharf, and local coworking and event spaces. With an understanding of program, function, and how the OC would reshape the mold of traditional schools, the team iterated from words to concepts and images for eight months, finally starting the design in section, rather than with a spreadsheet.
School Transformation
In the challenges Covid presented to traditional school typology, Forney ISD’s superintendent saw opportunity to realize a 15-year-old vision. Could a new type of school preserve the innovations to learning necessitated by the pandemic, like flexibility and community involvement? The OC includes but rearranges, repurposes, and innovates on all the components of a conventional high school, setting a new education standard other districts are already striving to emulate.
Star of Distinction Category Winner