Michael ZepedaDesign Director
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Architecture

Friendswood High School — Arts + Athletics

Friendswood, Texas2024 · Completed; courtyard deferred

A performing arts center, competition gym, and campus renovations that expand the school’s opportunities for performance and student life while maintaining its established identity.

My contribution

I led the design direction across the performing arts center exterior and lobby, auditorium experience, competition gym, athletic interiors, and supporting campus spaces.

How can a school addition make every performance feel significant?

An arrival for the arts

The performing arts lobby creates a civic arrival for concerts, performances, and community events. Warm wood, school blue, natural light, and masonry connect it to the wider campus.

An orchestra performing on the stage of the completed auditorium.
Completed auditorium in use.

Home court advantage

The sunken competition gym changes the experience of arrival: spectators and visiting teams descend toward the court. Historic imagery connects the new venue with the school’s athletic traditions.

Rendering of the performing arts lobby with timber walls, blue seating and school graphics.
The lobby as a civic arrival for performance.

A connected campus, in phases

Renovated band and choir spaces support the new performing arts center. A central courtyard was developed as part of the wider campus vision, but deferred from the completed phase.

Aerial rendering of the proposed landscaped courtyard between school buildings.
Courtyard concept — deferred from the completed phase.

Collaboration & credits

  • Practice: PBK.
  • Completed auditorium photography: PBK Marketing, per portfolio.
  • Courtyard concept was deferred; other selected non-photographic images are design renderings.
  • Additional design, consultant, and construction credits to be confirmed.
Image credits & source notes
  1. Auditorium design visualization.
    Visualization: project team; individual credit to be confirmed.
  2. Completed auditorium in use.
    Photography: PBK Marketing, as credited in the portfolio.
  3. The lobby as a civic arrival for performance.
    Visualization: project team; individual credit to be confirmed.
  4. Courtyard concept — deferred from the completed phase.
    Visualization: project team; individual credit to be confirmed.
  5. Completed auditorium, viewed toward the stage.
    Additional image from the supplied project archive. Photographer or visualization author and publication permission to be confirmed.
  6. The completed performing arts entrance and lobby.
    Additional image from the supplied project archive. Photographer or visualization author and publication permission to be confirmed.
  7. Completed athletics space and school identity.
    Additional image from the supplied project archive. Photographer or visualization author and publication permission to be confirmed.

Source: supplied portfolio and additional project archive. Portfolio reference: PDF pages 74–83. Dates and status reflect that document. Individual roles are presented within the credited collaborative team.

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