The new Robbie & Lynore Robinson Fine Arts Center is a celebrated place serving the Plano Independent School District, nurturing artistic and creative expression for students within a single, state-of-the-art facility. In collaboration with Perkins + Will as Architect of Record, Bora led the design of this “crown jewel” which stands as a bright, beautiful invitation to the entire Plano ISD community, reflecting their commitment to the transformative power of arts education.

The new building serves all middle school and high school students across the district who participate in fine and performing arts programs–unifying theater, dance, music and visual arts as equal but unique entities. As a beloved arts center for the community, it engages community arts groups and hosts competitions and events which formerly had to look to external venues.

Our design expresses each performance venue as a separate concrete mass within a transparent lobby space. A 1,500-seat multi-purpose performance hall, a multi-modal rehearsal space, and a flexible studio theater are strategically placed, with the gaps between these venue “objects” allowing daylight in and framing views out into the surrounding 16-acre landscape.

Anchoring the lobby is an art gallery expressed as a low-profile volume with an open top. Works can be displayed both inside the gallery and along its outer walls, amplifying the talent of Plano’s young creatives within and beyond the building.

Unified beneath a daylit “cloud”-inspired canopy, the Plano Fine Arts Center invites the entire school district community in as a premier arts venue empowering the culture-makers of tomorrow.