Allen ISD/Collin College, Austin ISD, Fort Worth ISD, and Round Rock ISD have been selected to receive the 2022-23 Caudill Award, the highest honor in the annual Exhibit of School Architecture competition facilitated by TASA and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) for projects that exemplify excellence in planning and design of the learning environment. The architectural projects will be on display in the exhibit hall and the winners will be recognized at the 2023 TASA Midwinter Conference in Austin January 29-February 1.
The winning projects received at least four stars from six areas of distinction, making them eligible for the Caudill Award, which is named after Texas architect William Wayne Caudill (1914–1983), whose progressive concepts continue to influence school design.
Allen ISD/Collin College won for their Technical Campus, designed by Perkins&Will. The project was the new construction of a career and technical education center in Allen, Texas. Open, flexible classrooms and labs with direct access to student social spaces and outdoor teaching areas make this campus a unique and future-minded endeavor in education. Occupying a greenfield site, the campus manages its scale against the adjacent neighborhood by stretching its proportions low to the ground and extending out of the landscape.
Austin ISD won for its Casis Elementary School, designed by LPA. The project was a new construction project replacing an existing elementary school on the same site. Maximizing flexibility of the project was a priority to the district and community. The new design incorporates several multi-use spaces that provide additional functionality in a reduced footprint. Thoughtful adjacency of multi-use areas allow for flexibility and efficiency, utilizing spaces around circulation and entrances/exits for collaboration spaces. The new school also incorporates the ability for the maker spaces, gymnasium and collaboration areas to flow out into the courtyards.
Fort Worth ISD won for its Amon Carter High School, designed by Glenn | Partners. The project was a 110,000-square-foot addition that includes fine arts, career and technical education classrooms, core science classrooms, ROTC, and an athletics field house. The renovation was made to an existing building built in 1936 and on the historic registry. The plan was to restore and emphasize the central axis of the campus that was set up by the original architect. Removing the existing track and practice field and flipping the baseball field allowed space for the new building to complete the quad, create more interior and exterior collaboration, and most importantly, move the students from portables into a more appropriate learning environment.
Round Rock ISD won for its Redbud Elementary School, designed by PBK. The new, 123,000-square-foot school was inspired by the district’s desire to bring biophilic design into the learning environment. Students connect to nature through abundant natural light, outside views, organic geometries, materials and color selection. Operable sliding walls in every classroom and flexible furniture allow for individual, group or multi-classroom formats. The school brings opportunities for engagement, discovery, creativity, joy, wonder and adventure.
The Exhibit of School Architecture awards are given at the discretion of a 12-member jury: four school board members, four administrators, and four representatives of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). The Caudill Award winners were chosen from among 34 projects awarded Stars of Distinction in the areas of community, planning, transformation, design, value, and innovation.