UTA Community
Design Build Lab
13,000 sf Facility
Built in Space
Learning Labs
Community Meeting Space
Conference room
Workshop Area
Design-Build, Innovation, and Community Partnerships
College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs will open the UTA Community Design Build Lab this fall 2021 as a part of an adaptive reuse project with the City of Arlington. The new facility is located within walking distance of the main campus a part of the efforts to revitalize central Arlington. In addition to the educational opportunities, this new facility will create an important bridge between the academic and non-profit communities of North Texas.
The renovation project was made possible through a University of Texas STARs (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) grant, which supports the acquisition of research equipment and laboratory renovations.
Year Established
Completed Projects
Design Build Projects
2016 Situational Kiosks
Project focused on a series of pavilions to be setup at various locations throughout Arlington. Each student was tasked to design a pavilion, propose a location and secondary programs. These proposed pavilions served as bus stops, seating, bike racks and small business pop ups.
2017 Micro Homes
The objective of a micro home is to minimize the footprint on a landscape, allow for design with recycled or repurposed materials, and to emphasize the sustainability in the project as well as the lifestyle for one to take up residence in a micro home.
2020 Oak Crest Meadows
Project focused on six smaller homes in the 1,200 square foot range that would be grouped in a neighborhood setting. These houses would provide affordable housing for senior citizens, while creating a larger neighborhood context for the students to consider during the design phase.
We’ve Been Innovating For Over 20 Years
CAPPA is involved in community design-build projects through architecture studios through which students are engaged in designing and contributing to the construction of various structures, including pavilion proposals for the City of Arlington and a series of housing investigations.
Let’s Create Something Together
In 2016, CAPPA students completed two micro-houses and in subsequent years, constructed three single-family residences in east Arlington, funded by the Housing Channel. Future design-build investigations are expected to address prototyping and prefabricated elements for housing applications.