OMA and partner Jason Long are adapting Houston’s 1930s J. A. Folger & Co. coffee plant into the Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (FLAMA), a planned tuition-free public charter school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The project’s design keeps classrooms along the building’s windowed perimeter and brings shared learning and gathering spaces into its center, linking the industrial structure to the school’s arts-focused program.
What the Folger plant is becoming
FLAMA is planned as an open-enrollment, tuition-free public charter school serving students from pre-K through eighth grade. The reported academy area is 6,050 m², or about 65,120 square feet. OMA lists the project as ongoing and under construction, with Lovett Commercial as client and Jason Long as partner. Project coverage identifies RDLR Architects as architect of record and SWA Group as landscape designer. OMA’s project page describes the work as adaptive reuse of the historic plant along Houston’s Buffalo Bayou East corridor.
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The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records the Folgers Coffee Plant at 5757 Navigation, Houston, TX 77011. Its registration describes conversion of an industrial facility to a core-and-shell building for future development, and lists 277,065 square feet for the broader plant renovation. That figure refers to the larger renovation record, not the academy’s reported 6,050 m² area. The TDLR project record and ArchDaily’s project report document the distinct scopes.
How the design adapts the industrial shell
Daylight at the perimeter, shared space in the center
The design places classrooms around the building’s perimeter to make use of daylight from the original muntin windows, which are to be restored and adapted. Circular skylights are intended to bring daylight into central areas that sit farther from the exterior walls. This arrangement makes the existing envelope part of the school’s learning strategy while using new openings overhead to address the deeper interior.
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Common areas built around gathering
Shared spaces called “cymbals” anchor each floor. A double-height cafetorium is planned for lunch, assemblies, and performances, bringing daily school life and public presentation into one prominent space. A private courtyard entrance offers another threshold between the neighborhood and the reused plant. Together, these choices make gathering and performance visible parts of the proposed school rather than activities confined to a single specialist room.
Spaces organized for different stages of learning
The reported three-story arrangement places younger students at the base, reflecting student growth in the building’s organization. The ground-level shared area is designed to support play, movement, and drum circles. An open library commons serves grades three through five, while a more focused study commons above is planned for grades six through eight. These are descriptions of design intent; the school’s actual operations and student experience can only be assessed once it is open.
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Where music and arts fit into the school
FLAMA’s music and arts mission informs both dedicated activity and the shared environment. The cafetorium is intended to accommodate performances as well as meals and assemblies, while the ground-floor space is described as supporting drum circles. Houston Chronicle reporting says the design team plans sound separation for music rooms so music activity does not distract academic classrooms. That is a reported design intention, not a published acoustic test or performance result.
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School leader Allen described the educational role of the arts to the Houston Chronicle: “Music and arts give children powerful ways to think, create, communicate, collaborate, practice, persevere,” Allen said. “Those experiences will work hand in hand with strong instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, Spanish, and the knowledge and skills our students need for the future.” The statement frames the project’s ambition: arts learning is meant to complement, rather than replace, core academic instruction.
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Construction status and opening target
As of October 13, 2026, OMA listed the project as in construction. ArchDaily and the Houston Chronicle reported that construction began October 8, 2026, and that the expected opening was August 2027. August 2027 is a target reported during construction, not confirmation that the academy has opened or that the schedule is unchanged. The latest status should be checked against current project or school updates if using this article after that date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the project is notable for adaptive reuse
The project’s central design challenge is to make a large industrial building work as a school without treating its existing fabric as incidental. Restored perimeter windows support classroom daylight; skylights address the interior; and the floor-by-floor commons and performance spaces connect the school’s communal arts program with its everyday circulation. The result is a specific reuse strategy: preserve and adapt the building’s existing features where they serve the educational plan, then introduce new interventions where the old industrial layout cannot meet that plan on its own.
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The documented history establishes a 1930s coffee plant and its subsequent conversion project, but not a complete operating chronology or detailed production history. The school’s design and intended program are documented; whether the finished building delivers the planned acoustic separation, daylight quality, and learning experience remains to be seen after completion.
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