Winner Of 2004 Caudill Award

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Renovation work at Tomball High wins kudos

Construction project earns top state award

By FLORI MEEKS, Chronicle Correspondent

Tomball High School was singled out for special recognition earlier this month when state education leaders selected it for their highest school architecture and design award.

The Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators presented Tomball High with its 2004 Caudill Award for Architectural Excellence during their joint convention in Dallas Sept. 17-20.

The award recognizes the school's recent $27.4 million construction project, which combined 160,000 square feet of new construction with 150,000 square feet of renovation work during two years.

Named for Houston architect and author William W. Caudill, the award requires projects to excel in five categories.

They are educational appropriateness, value, process of planning, design and innovation.

"The Caudill Award is the top award that everyone strives to get," said David Schuelke, assistant superintendent of ancillary services for Tomball schools.

"We're glad to say Tomball High School received it this year. We're quite happy with that."

Schuelke says it was extensive, cooperative planning that set the school's renovation project apart.

During a two-day intensive design period, Tomball school district administrators worked with community members, teachers, PBK Architects and Tellepsen Construction representatives to set the project's course.

The resulting plans called for renovations to the hallways, cafeteria, commons, classrooms and laboratories.

"That cooperative planning effort truly was a key to the construction project's success," said Huey Kinchen, the district's assistant superintendent for administrative services.

Kinchen was the high school's principal during construction.

"Really, it was a team effort," Kinchen said. "When everyone works together for a common goal, it's satisfying to see it come to fruition."

Schuelke said he is pleased with the way the new construction meshed with the renovated sections of the original school.

"We completely wrapped the new construction around the old building," he said. "It's a facility that matches up with any new building in the area right now."

Workers completed the renovations in fall 2003.

In addition to Tomball High School's award, the Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators presented an award to Northpointe Intermediate School for value, design, education appropriateness and innovation.

"This is the first true intermediate school we built in the district," Schuelke said.

The fifth- and sixth-grade campus, which opened for the 2003-04 school year, is similar to an elementary school with an expanded gym, an expanded fine arts area and different science labs, Schuelke said. Combined staffs from two Tomball intermediate schools worked with Bay Architects to plan the building. The $9.7 million campus was constructed by Delmac, he said.