Texas A&M University – McAllen Higher Education Center
The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS), in partnership with The City of McAllen and Hidalgo County, opened a teaching center for Texas A&M University in McAllen, Texas that will grow and develop into a branch campus.
Client:Texas A&M University
Market:Higher Education
Discipline:Architecture + Interiors
Project Area:67,297 sq. ft.
The project began with a master plan and phasing of the site’s development.
The McAllen Higher Education Center, a building for Texas A&M University at McAllen, is the first building at the new McAllen location, located on a 100-acre tract made available to TAMUS. Since this is the first building on campus, it serves as both an administrative and academic building, providing a variety of student support spaces including: active learning classrooms; testing center; career services; tutoring, collaboration, and huddle room spaces; a writing center; and administration spaces.
This facility is the first built for this campus, so it needed to be able to accommodate the many operations involved in running a higher education program until subsequent phases of campus development can be completed. PBK included versatile multi-use spaces in the design of this building that can be shared by, and provide support to, interdisciplinary programs. The building is outfitted with a large lecture hall, a mid-size lecture studio, and several small active learning classrooms, able to support both core curriculum and program specific classes.
The McAllen Higher Education Center likewise needed education spaces outfitted to support STEM-related lessons. PBK designed lab spaces properly equipped and arranged for wet, dry, engineering, and technology related instruction and experimentation.
The labs and lecture halls are spaces further supported by standard education classrooms, administrative offices for faculty and staff, offices and equipment that maintains security and operations, communication and data technology, parking, site development, and utilities on the site.
Harsh weather and funding delays caused months of setbacks. Nevertheless, the PBK team and subcontractors worked diligently in spite of the weather and funding setback and ultimately prevailed, building Texas A&M University’s $32.5-million Higher Education Center at McAllen on schedule. This was accomplished through strategic modifications to sequencing and careful planning.
