- Architecture and engineering services for a new $26-million, 50,000-square-foot Cedar Valley College Campus Early College High School
- MEPFP engineering services in partnership with Perkins + Will on a new $25-million, 56,000-square-foot Interdisciplinary Academic Building and a new $37-million, 80,000-square-foot Student Success Center, both at the Eastfield College Campus.
In 2019, voters approved a $1.1-billion bond program to construct, improve, renovate, and equip several buildings within the Dallas College District. Dallas College operates seven two- and four-year community colleges and other facilities all located in Dallas County, Texas. It enrolls more than 83,000 credit and 20,000 continuing education students each semester.
KAI President Darren L. James, FAIA said designing this new wave of early college high schools has its challenges in terms of creating facilities that reflect the nurturing aspects of high schools, but also maintain the rigor and flexible learning spaces expected of collegiate facilities. KAI has experience designing these types of early academies for the Dallas Independent School District, the second-largest school district in Texas, including new Collegiate Academies at South Oak Cliff, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and D.W. Carter High Schools, and is looking forward to working on these projects for Dallas College.
“The paradigm shift of providing students the opportunity to earn a two-year degree during high school has shown great promise across the nation and specifically in Dallas County. The process in this area began with the P-Tech programs and the Collegiate Academies serving as ‘schools within schools’ at partnering local, independent school districts,” James said. “That program in concert with the Dallas County Promise — a coalition of school districts, colleges, universities, employers, and communities that have joined forces to help more Dallas County students complete college and begin careers — initiated a renewed and continued push to prepare our local students with college- or career-ready pathways after high school."
Dallas College has approved nine projects as part of its 2019 Bond Program Phase 1, which includes the projects KAI was selected for. Construction of all Phase 1 projects is tentatively scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2022.
