K-12 Education

The Main Street allows access to all major learning and personal development spaces, individual study areas, and small group collaboration spaces for club meetings. Two major lobby spaces bolster both ends of the Main Street, one serving as the auditorium lobby and public entrance and the other as the sports lobby and student entrance. The academic wing of the building features three stories of learning communities consisting of collaborative spaces for students and faculty, core academic learning centers, science lab space, career and technology learning, and a serving line on the first floor for café style engagement.

Fueled by technological advancements to mirror the workplaces of today, the facility features agile common spaces and its interior classrooms can be arranged to accommodate various learning modes and group settings and are equipped with interactive whiteboards and offer abundant natural light. To meet the growing demand for Career and Technology Education courses, lab space was designed for highly efficient use of space with easy access to water, power, and technology. The school is CHPS designed and its most significant outdoor feature includes a large greenspace which provides a walking path, outdoor learning gardens, and teaching amphitheater. For increased security, the main entry is highly visible and utilizes a security vestibule. 

There are three (3) two-story classroom wings for K-5 with a single-story Pre-K wing. The facility also includes a gymnasium, a cafetorium, kitchen, and specialty classrooms for art, music and science. Additional amenities include multiple walkway canopies, multiple parking lots, and central Learning Courtyards that provide garden areas, outdoor classrooms and additional outdoor learning features.

The Media Center is located at the heart of the campus across from the main administration area providing equal access for all students. This space is a technology-rich environment with direct access to the courtyard and natural light and provides students with choices through a variety of creative learning tools.

Rowe Middle School is programmed for 1,350 students, with eight portable units for an ultimate capacity of 1,750 students and a staff of 150. Its academic wing is organized into three levels with four shared Learning Communities. These each feature core subject classrooms, administration offices for Assistant Principals and Counselors, and support spaces for each community such as storage rooms, collaboration spaces, planning rooms and restrooms. Large group instruction labs are shared by the Learning Communities, and circulation spaces are maximized to serve as instructional spaces, allowing learning to continue beyond the classroom walls. In addition, there is a “Community Bar” similar to Cypress-Park High School, which contains athletics, fine arts and CTE shop components. The front entry comprises of a secure entry vestibule and the main administrative offices as well as the library which was transformed into a Learning Lab, where technology, presentation and collaboration can thrive.  

Site amenities include a running track, competition football/soccer field with press box, practice football/soccer field, practice baseball/softball backstops, shot put, discus, long jump and pole vault.  

Auto drop-off and visitor parking areas are provided directly off the main entry, along with designated staff parking. A bus loop is around the staff parking which will be shared with the future elementary school. 

The cafeteria is designed to accommodate the Elementary, Middle and High Schools. These are separated with folding walls that can be opened or closed depending on the day’s events. The kitchen is designed for maximum operational efficiency, while maintaining autonomy between the grade levels. 

A shared central plant serves all three facilities. The building is designed large enough for all three facilities, but chillers and equipment will be added as facilities are added to the site. 

Educational Village 

The designs contained here are part of an Educational Village, whose Master Plan was originally developed during the design process for Cypress Park High School, which completed construction in 2016. An Educational Village is a multi-campus site where each individual school works in close connection with the other schools to provide for a Community of Learning. The schools within this site - an Elementary, Middle and High School - share facilities and resources in order to maximize the learning experience for each student. An example of this is the kitchen/cafeteria, which will be shared by all campuses. 

During normal operations, each school has its own cafeteria; however, when joined together the site gains a large, multi-purpose facility that can be used for community gatherings, student performances, teacher trainings, and school events. 

The Education Village is organized around a park which provides enhanced outdoor learning activities and serves as the center of the facility's design. Master planning the site as an Education Village creates synergies that enhance the learning environment and provide multi-use, flexible shared facilities which, in turn, result in financial savings both initially and over the life of the facilities. 

The new Van Vleck Elementary School is designed to hold a capacity of 550 students. The new school includes various teaching spaces and classroom wings, a central library, central library media center, front entry with security vestibule and expandable working spaces.  

The new Van Vleck Middle School features flex spaces for teaching and collaboration, front entry with security vestibule, central library media center, outdoor learning spaces, and movable walls and furniture. During the programming phase, the committee decided that the most economical decision would be to combine the middle school and high school into one facility which will be combined by a shared cafeteria and auditorium However, each campus has its own classroom wings, administrative suites and main entrances. The 62,405-square foot space holds a capacity of 350 students. 

In connection with Van Vleck ISD’s new middle school, the district’s new high school features flex spaces for teaching and collaboration, front entry with security vestibule, central library media center, a Black Box Theatre, cafetorium, movable walls and furniture, and outdoor learning spaces. The facility includes its own classroom wing and administrative suite at 455,000 square feet of spaces for 500 students.  

To introduce students to sustainability in the built environment and landscape architecture, PBK chose to teach by example through the incorporation of sustainable LED lighting, water-efficient fixtures, a high-performance building envelope, high-efficiency chillers or all classrooms, and xeriscaping for the entire facility.   

At the heart of the school sits a giant redbud tree with branches connecting to all three wings. The concept for the school was inspired by biophilic design that simulates elements from nature and connects the students to the natural world. The new Redbud Elementary School is filled with sensory experiences in a fun, colorful and exciting learning environment for the Round Rock Community. The school incorporates six learning communities, each with their own teacher planning rooms, small group rooms and collaboration areas.

The new two-story elementary school holds a capacity of 900 people providing the students and Round Rock community with a state of the art 21^st century environment. Learning Neighborhoods house studios for all grade levels along with collaboration areas, small group rooms, a Professional Learning Center, makerspace, as well as classrooms for visual arts and music, a gymnasium, dining commons, and a community room. Administrative offices are located on the first floor adjacent to the media center.

Redbud Elementary School is the first school in the State of Texas with features specifically designed to respond to the challenges COVID-19 presents to a school environment.

Located on the east side of Austin and surrounded by single-story homes, the new 80,800 square-foot elementary school is the result of a transparent community-based planning effort spanning two years with the Austin ISD and Govalle community. The result is a community driven school serving 522 students and one that represents its neighborhood, engages its community, and embraces its history and diverse population of learners. The new school was built as replacement for the existing building that did not meet the basic needs of the district’s educational requirements. Sustainability, collaboration, creativity, cultural proficiency, community and outdoor connections were the driving factors in the design.

The school directly engages with its neighbors both tectonically and volumetrically. The elevations are broken down into constituent, relatable components that enable the building’s mass to sit comfortably next to the adjacent homes. Since opening in the spring of 2020, the school has become a source of civic pride and a valued community resource. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators have expressed their delight in being part of the design process and their ability to live and learn in the new school.

Sustainability is a driving force behind the school’s mission to provide a high quality and comprehensive education experience that challenges and inspires students to make a positive contribution to our world. The sustainable features of the school include a water collection system, vegetable and butterfly gardens, rain gardens throughout the site, and other energy saving features. These features serve as a teaching tool for the students and celebrate the community’s long history of respecting the environment. Through careful planning with the school and community, innovative graphics representing specific values of the community were created throughout the school providing an inspiring learning environment for the students. The existing trees were an important and unique feature celebrating the site, which required careful planning and an innovative approach to the site and building configuration. As a result, many of the trees on site were saved providing shade throughout the campus and opportunities for children to learn outside.

The school offers limitless opportunities for collaboration, flexibility and hands-on learning. The site and building set an example of conversation and stewardship. The design mirrors the modern and flexible environment we live in today, where both collaborative and individual opportunity spaces are the key to success. The school is a tool that can be customized to accommodate different teaching approaches and induvial learners’ preferences. The moveable walls, flexible-collaborative furniture and multi-use spaces allows the school to transform collaboration areas for many uses over the years to come. 

Classrooms and labs mirror real work environments, giving students the ability to form career expectations in high school. Students that pass classes their classes at the Center acquire certifications and licenses needed in their professions.

The details of the Center make it a revolutionary learning space. For example, the electrochromic glass in the upper windows facing the east, west and the entrance is connected to a weather monitoring device. It is able to tint or lighten based on the weather, time of day, and the overall position of the sun. Glass walls create transparency for students to see into other classes.

A highlight of the Center is the Interactive Observation Lab (IOL), also known as the Asymmetric Cone This is primarily a surgical amphitheater where students sit in the balcony and observe medical procedures taking place in the center of the cone. Moveable glass partitions make it easy to accommodate automotive and welding classes so teachers can wheel in large pieces of equipment while students watch from above. The IOL can be used for instructional purpose by any of the 10 different program fields that the Center offers.

The Center gives Alief ISD students an innovative, purposefully designed space, which cultivates and trains their passions towards a successful career path.