Will Hodges, President of Cadence McShane Construction Company, is pleased to announce that the construction of Plano East Senior High School classroom addition is officially complete in Plano, Texas. The new 54,375-square-foot addition includes 23 classrooms, a remodeled counselor suite, state-of-the-art storm shelter, and a large meeting room for the Plano East staff.
Plano East Senior High School is one of the few North Texas schools to have a storm shelter on site. Cadence McShane is proud to give the students and faculty a place to learn and grow while being safe during any possible storm. In order to comply with a new standard for public schools, storm shelters must be able to withstand wind loads up to 250 mph, while also resisting the debris impact associated with wind events.
“This is the first storm shelter build by Cadence McShane that follows the FEMA Safe Room and ICC 500 Standard” states Steve Levy, Vice President of Education for Cadence McShane. “The firm is also constructing storm shelters for two other districts. Completing these storm shelters to the new standards will prove invaluable to the safety of our children.”
Plano East Senior High School currently enrolls 3,000 11th and 12th grade high school students. With the necessary addition to the campus, the four portables that were previously used as 16 classrooms will no longer be needed in the upcoming school year.
The new addition is located right next to the pond, which is in the heart of campus. There is a paved walkway and seating area that borders the new building and overlooks the pond where students can gather and complete schoolwork. It is in this space where students can interact with one another while being outdoors. In the additional classrooms, there are large glass windows that will allow natural light into the spacious rooms. The exterior of the building is made of stucco, completed with Plano East gold and accenting colors.
As the construction manager at risk for the project, Cadence McShane worked closely with Plano ISD and WRA Architects, Inc. to ensure that the district’s vision came to life. The addition for Plano East Senior High School was opened prior to the first day of the 2018-2019 school year.