HOUSTON–Addison, Tex.-based Cadence McShane Construction Co. has been selected by the Houston Independent School District to provide the comprehensive construction of its new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) campus in downtown Houston.

Funded under the District's 2012 bond program, the new school will occupy an entire city block at 790 Austin St., providing direct access to Houston's light rail system and other nearby arts and theatrical venues. Cadence McShane is serving as construction manager at-risk for the assignment, with a target completion date of the first quarter of 2017.  

“We are delighted to have been awarded the new High School for the Performing and Visual Arts assignment,” Will Hodges, president of Cadence McShane Construction Co., told GlobeSt.com. “Our selection by the Houston ISD for this high-profile project…is likely due in part to our extensive experience in delivering assignments of similar scope including the Texas A&M Performing Arts Center in Corpus Christi; the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts in Houston; and the Fine Arts Annex for The University of Texas at Arlington.”

The new five-story, 259,000-square-foot high school will be constructed to support 750 students. Accessed through a window-lined, two-story atrium lobby, the first floor of the new HSPVA facility will include a fully-equipped auditorium, administrative offices, a dining area with a full-service kitchen, locker rooms, a scene shop, costume lab and storage space. The second floor provides access to the theater's balcony seating as well as entrances to a separate smaller theater and stage. The second floor will also incorporate a lighting lab, teacher workstations, an art gallery and a large multi-purpose common area. 

Cadence McShane's construction of the third floor incorporates dance studios, wet labs, classrooms, separate student and faculty locker rooms, a laundry area and additional administrative offices. Two sizable music rooms and 16 classrooms and wet labs will comprise the fourth floor, while the fifth floor will house additional music classrooms and support spaces, together with the school's visual art studios. A fitness center and rooftop terraces will also be accessible on the top level, providing outdoor socializing and work space for students and staff.  

As part of the assignment, Cadence McShane will complete the demolition of the existing structure on the site and provide the excavation to construct a below-grade parking garage for 171 vehicles. 

Gensler has been selected to provide the architectural services for the project.