Willow Wood Elementary School

Melissa ISD Adds To The Academic Growth Of The Community

McKinney, TX

Walking under a wooden soffit, students enter the new Willow Wood Elementary School to experience an homage to their home state. With a timeless, natural look throughout the exterior and interior, the school’s design and construction centers on rural Texas and the Texas prairie.

Willow Wood, built on land donated by developer Fred Phillips, is the third elementary school in the Melissa Independent School District. It features nearly 78,000 SF of space designed for innovation and inspiration. Crossland Construction began work on the school in October 2020 and finished in July 2021, 30 days ahead of schedule.

The exterior finishes consist of a Flemish bond brick pattern along with composite wood decking and ACM panels. The courtyard areas feature back painted glass and architectural concrete benches to seat students for outdoor learning/classes.

The interior finishes consist of wood decking and glulams through the main corridor, cafeteria and library. The corridors are lined with back painted glass panels with fabric-wrapped tack boards above and Italian ceramic tiles. Each class is outlined with a wood surround and wood framed tack board.

The classroom floors are stained, polished concrete. Large format Italian ceramic tiles were used for flooring in the main corridors.

The wood decking and glulam trusses add another beautiful element to the interior of the school. The etched panels are unique to this project, as well as the high-end tile finishes and P-Lam on the millwork. The school also features a 7,730 SF storm shelter.

The Crossland team finished the project a month early despite material and subcontractors challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The project, located within a developing housing development, required strategic coordination and cooperation with the housing developer.

Extensive pre-planning and follow-up with contractors allowed Crossland to work efficiently and effectively to provide Melissa ISD with its new, beautiful elementary school right in time for the 2021-2022 school year.

Project Facts

Industry Sector: Educational
Cost: $18.5M
Size: 77,569 SF
Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build / Hard Bid
Owner: Melissa Independent School District
Architect: Perkins & Will