Robert Shaw STEAM Center

Location: Katy, Texas
Area: 24,000 SF
Year: 2015
Role: Lead Designer
Team: SHW Group
Luis Ayala, AIA
Tracy Eich, AIA
Matt Gvist, AIA
Jennifer Henrickson, AIA
Taryn Kinney, AIA
Raul Piñol, AIA
Laura Sachtleben, AIA
Rachael Schneider
Michael Todd

Awards: 2016 TASA TASB Caudill

Photography: Luis Ayala, AIA

Remember the movie Real Steel, where a cute kid and his boxer dad, built a robot that fights imitating human moves?
This project is designed to host this activity. Well, sort of...

Katy independent school district in Houston suburbia, has one of the highest growing rates in the nation. One of their specialty programs is robotics, where students design, build and compete with their robots on national and even world championships. 

Robots are designed to perform different tasks, remotely commanded by its creators, they are to throw discs or balls to specific targets, competing against time and their opponents in the arena. 
Game rules and robots change every year, hence the building design had to be flexible and utilitarian. 

A very simple plan, with individual workshops for different teams, pivoting around a central high-bay-arena area, where robots compete and train. 

Time and tight budget constraints influenced design and tectonics decisions, taking cues from suburbia workshops on building methods and materiality but providing ample daylight and a ludic space character, appropriate for learning teenagers. 

A small and simple building but with great aspirations to form careers through play and curiosity.