At least one imaginary student couldn’t be more excited for Sam Houston State University’s new Art Complex. It’s not up and running yet, however; construction on the 4-floor studio and gallery space began earlier this month, after the school’s Board of Regents okayed Kirksey Architecture’s plans for the building in February.

When finished, it’ll consolidate the art facilities now spread across 7 separate campus buildings, mapped out below:

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Also on their way to the new facility: programs housed in the school’s WASH house (Workshop in Art Studio and History). Pictured above, it sits off-campus at 2220 Avenue M, about 3 quarters of a mile from the planned 72,000-sq.-ft. complex.

The view below looks northwest to show the sides of the building that’ll face off from the existing University Theatre Center and the Newton Gresham Library on the other side of Bobby K. Marks Dr., within the campus:

A gallery is planned for the building’s first floor, which also contains space for the WASH program, a student resource center, a sculpture lab, and a ceramics studio.

In a northeast courtyard at the bottom of the hill behind the building, outdoor amenities include an additional sculpture workspace and backyard ceramics kilns:

The second floor houses graphic design and computer animation studios, as well as a sound recording lab and production facility for the animation students. Large windows shown on the right above will shed light on new painting, drawing, and printmaking studios on the top floor —  but not on planned darkrooms. There’s also space for a professional photo studio in the penthouse.

A look at the southeast corner:

Also included: a multi-purpose art history room, smaller seminar rooms, and a computer lab.

• Art department prepares for makeover [The Houstonian]

Renderings: Kirksey Architecture. Photo and map: Sam Houston State University.