The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas Education Center, the first large-scale Civic building for the Tribe includes their Head Start program, Community Center (Library, Education and Youth Services programs) and after-hours Activities Center.

To compliment the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas’ rich cultural history, the project draws inspiration from four concepts: Nature, Balance, Unity, and Knowledge. Features from each of these concepts are designed into the site and building to give the attention and depth of design a Civic building requires.

The three entries, varying sloped roof lines and heights, clerestories, and entry canopies are used to break down the expansive building into an appropriate scale for the community and the site. A key element of the project was bringing as much natural daylight into the building to enrich the interior spaces and create a connection to the outside.

The interior and exterior color palettes are inspired from the surrounding landscape and are comprised of warm earth tone colors. Exterior materials and organic shapes are brought into the building to provide an integrated holistic approach from the exterior to the interior.