Strake Jesuit College Preparatory

Houston, Texas

Firm

Kirksey Architecture

Client

Area

265,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$3,200,000

Completion Date

03/1998

Program requirements were to design a building anchoring a new entrance to a school campus. The building had to accommodate all school gatherings, performances and support facilities for the music department. The client’s primary desire was to create an intimate environment between the audience and performers.
The design response was a 33,000-square-foot student center with a strong presence that blends into the 45-year-old campus. The building includes a 1,000-seat auditorium designed with the last row of seats less than 90 feet from center stage.
The warm, spiritual, quiet and comfortable atmosphere was created with a timeless color scheme. Acoustics, being of prime importance, were achieved by curved brick walls with the radius calculated to provide optimal distribution of sound, as well as with the splitface block placed above the brick. Acoustical clouds maximize sound distribution. The 4,000-square-foot lobby was designed as a prefunction area. Serving as a staging area during performances, the music department is located behind the stage. All of this was enclosed in a focal point for the new campus entrance.

Photographer: ©Aker Zvonkovic