Friday, July 29, 2011

TSTC Student Center | Sweetwater, Texas

Texas State Technical College is the only publicly-funded technical college in Texas. With campuses in 7 different cities across the state, TSTC is well-known and widely sought after by many people looking to boost their careers. The mission and role of TSTC is "to efficiently and effectively help Texas meet the high-tech challenges of today’s global economy, in partnership with business and industry, government agencies, and other educational institutions."

In 1997, CADCO was awarded the privilege of helping the TSTC Sweetwater campus expand to meet it's growing needs. A Student Center was what would fit the bill and we got to work. The building serves as a central hub of campus activity life as well as for the community of Sweetwater.
 



 This landmark facility sits on an elevated site above the TSTC Sweetwater campus combining dining and recreation activities for the students and the local community at large.


 

 A cushioned jogging track with banked turns overlooks the main concourse encircling a full-sized dividable gym with basketball and volleyball courts, cardiovascular and free weight areas.


   

 The lower level features a spacious recreational room, locker rooms, check-in desk and administrative offices.



The large commercial kitchen, serving lines, dining facilities, banquet and meeting rooms accommodate campus and community functions of all sizes.






This project came in at $106.86/square foot with the help of great clients, contractor, and architectural/engineering team!


All Architectural & Engineering: CADCO Architect-Engineers, Inc.
General Contractor: Henninger, Inc. - Abilene, TX

Friday, July 22, 2011

Anson I.S.D. Campus Improvements | Anson, Texas

Thirty miles north of Abilene, along highway 277 is a small town of nearly 3,000. Anson, Texas is a community full of wonderful people who live and breathe red and black. One of the greatest things about the small towns in Texas is the public's support of the local schools on every platform.



In November of 2006, the people in Anson spoke up and passed a bond that would greatly improve the school facilities. With that money, the district would be able to add a new classroom wing to the middle school campus, a gymnasium at the middle school and a brand new competition gymnasium with adequate dressing and facilities for the high school - something the district was in great need of.


The piers were drilled...

The concrete poured...

and the buildings went up!

Here are some shots of the new special events center completed.


A large, open foyer with concessions


Coaches offices with views to the gym

Competition gymnasium with fixed seating and beautiful glue-laminated beams in lieu of standard steel construction added such an impressive, warm and traditional look.



The Special Events Center was successfully completed in 2009, coming in at $174.80/sf including design and construction fees.

Bond Election Artwork and Assistance: CADCO Architects-Engineers, Inc.
Architectural & Civil/Structural Engineering: CADCO Architects-Engineers, Inc.
Consultants: Friberg Associates Inc. (Mechanical/Plumbing/Electrical Engineering)
Construction Manager Agent: CADCO Architects-Engineers, Inc.
All of this couldn't have been done without the help of great clients such as Anson I.S.D. and Superintendent, Jay Baccus.

Monday, July 11, 2011

First Baptist Church | Sweetwater, Texas Historic Preservation

A few months back, construction completed at the First Baptist Church in Sweetwater, TX. The building we re-designed was the church's original 1923 sanctuary that, through the years had seen its fair share of hodge-podged renovations.

What the church was lacking was sufficient space for an education meeting, as well as a general meeting area aside from their current sanctuary. Directly adjacent to the new sanctuary, the original building (pictured below) was a maze of classrooms and closets, none of which were meeting the needs of the congregation.


The building was completely renovated inside and out, tastefully incorporating modern design with historic elements or the structure. The graceful curves of the original stairwell and entry foyer were beautifully restored and an elevator was added for convenient access to all four levels. Renovations included 16 classrooms, a large conference room, and 1800 square foot assembly area, a visitor's center, 3 full kitchens, large accessible restrooms on each level, modern doors, windows, and finish materials, and energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems.

Here are some of the before are after pictures:

Before


After

Before

After

 Before

 After

Before

After

Before - the original choir loft was still in place and just beyond the balcony rail was jackpot of wasted space for the third floor of the building.

Before - this was the largest classroom in the building. With minimal natural light, an oddly placed column, and dark colors, the space was limiting.

A few photos while the building was still in progress. The church essentially gained an entire floor when the choir loft and empty attic space was converted to useable square footage through the addition of new steal beams.

A look down one of the corridors to see the colors coming together.

Another hallway - After

 Hallway on the main level - After

New Restroom facilities throughout

New large classroom with moveable wall partition to allow the room to double in size.

Another large assembly classroom located on the second floor.

Youth room located on the second floor (unused attic above) - before

Youth Room on the new third floor - after


And a shot of the sanctuary at night for the church.


This project was a HUGE success and came in at $134.37/square foot thanks to the hard work of the following firms:

Architecture & Civil/Structural Engineering: CADCO Architects-Engineers, Inc. - Abilene, TX
Consultants: Fratto Engineering - Arlington, TX (Mechanical/Plumbing Engineering); Yaggi Engineering - Arlington, TX (Electrical Engineering)
Construction Manager at Risk: W.B. Kibler Construction Co. - Dallas, TX
And of course, the wonderful people at First Baptist Church - Sweetwater, TX