McKinney ISD—McKinney North High School
Architect: Stantec
Additions and Renovations to an existing High school to expand fine arts; enhance the Career and Technical Education programs in the fields of Health Science, Robotics, and Aviation; improve safety and security of all students; address end of life items; and update the aesthetics of the building to help with lowering enrollment.
Design
Strategically locating the additions and renovations to maximize impact on school’s culture and image- Diverse learning environments that allow students to create, design, and learn with technology to support the district’s 1:1 MacBook initiative
- Enhanced CTE spaces that reflect relevant work environments
Value
- In-depth analysis of existing facility against what was needed allowed designers to strategically add and renovate the high school to maximize the impact on every student
- Location of additions and renovations were in areas of highest impact while spending less than $120/sf over 148,000-square feet
- Selection of materials and systems was evaluated on first time and lifecycle cost to maximize life and durability of the building
Sustainability
- Building Reuse – used over 75% of the existing building by strategically choosing areas of demolition, alteration, and new addition
- Low emitting materials in carpet, paint, and finishes to have improved indoor air quality
- Regionally-sourced building materials
Community
- Input from over 100 participants from the community including students, parents, administration, and industry partners during planning
- Relationship with 2 colleges, 3 hospitals, 20 businesses, and 40 professionals to provide mentorship, certifications, and internships to advance learning opportunities
Planning
Community engagement started before bond election and included school district administration, students, parents, and community members in the planning process- Overarching goal was to create a modern student-centric learning environment that embraces diverse learning styles and learning with technology
School Transformation
Transformed the school image to reflect a professional learning environment- Creating diverse spaces to support independent and group learning, help desk to support student devices, and infrastructure to allow students to learn with technology anywhere
- Integration of a 24-hour school to help students recover or gain credit outside regular school hours
- Providing a wide variety of enrichment programs to keep students interested and excited about their educational goals
Star of Distinction Category Winner