Workshop Houston is a Houston-based non-profit that provides middle and high school children after-school activities and classes. Originally, Workshop Houston (WH) began as the Third Ward Community Bike Shop in 2003. Today, WH continues as an important Houston outreach, combining hands-on bike repair and youth education programming. In recent years, Workshop Houston programs have extended to numerous after-school and summer workshops and academic enrichment. In expanding the opportunities, WH needed a renovation of their existing space as well as an expansion.
Workshop Houston reached out to the Rice Building Workshop (RBW) to design their new campus. After a careful examination of needs, costs, and site considerations, RBW and the WH staff agreed on the design of an overall site strategy. In collaboration with professional consultants, we produced an initial design development package for the masterplan with structure, systems, and initial details. Adding onto the existing Chopper Shop (bicycle design and building), Phase One included the Style Shop (fashion and graphic design) and the Beat Shop (writing and recording music). Future phases will feature a Scholar Shop (tutoring and academic support), as well as spaces for the administration and the high school program. The project was successfully funded, permitted, and ready for construction by RBW by 2014. As of today, the first phase is complete with the second phase in progress.
