Architecture practice OMA, led by partner-in-charge Jason Long, has designed the Frank Liu Jr. Academy of Music and Arts, a Montessori school set within a rehabilitated 1930s coffee plant in Houston. Metalocus reported the information, describing the project as a three-story learning landscape that prioritizes openness, independence, and collective learning.
The academy organizes classrooms and educational programs around central gathering spaces on each floor, supporting interaction, study, and performances. According to Metalocus, musical elements are woven into the design, visible along the public route and expressed through shared learning environments.
Younger children at ground level share a common area designed for free play, movement, and percussion activities, including drum circles. Grades 1 and 2 gather around an open space with a stair whose form recalls a French horn, supporting informal congregation and early performances.
Upper floors house more specialized environments for older students, including two connected library commons. An f-shaped floor opening between the libraries references the forte symbol and recalls the f-hole of a string instrument, connecting learning spaces through light and sound.
A double-height cafetorium at the school’s center serves as both a dining area and auditorium where the entire student body gathers for assemblies and special performances. All classrooms are placed along the building perimeter to ensure direct access to daylight, while circular skylights illuminate central common areas.
For more information, visit metalocus.es.