School Transformation

Preserving and Growing a Community Culture. This replacement school with an owl mascot—known as the “School in the Trees”—shares its site with a city park and embraces sustainable, biophilic design to further reinforce its setting in nature. With clearly stated project requirements and a strong existing cultural foundation, the new school environment delivers operational value and state-of-the-art learning spaces, allowing each student the opportunity to find their own unique path to knowledge.

In addition to accommodating rapid growth, the renovations and additions to the high school became opportunities to enrich and reinforce community culture, advance their educational model, and equip students for success. After nearly 40 years of reactive facility improvements, the existing 300,000 SF school was disjointed buildings, wings, and additions. Leveraging the community’s desire to remain a one high school district, the school has become a point of pride in a close-knit community.

Located in a highly diverse city, this school for careers allows for personal and professional advancement for an underserved community of 98% minorities and below-average graduation rates. Making careers more accessible, the school impacts students who are not accustomed to being in a professional environment. By transforming the teaching environment and bringing together students from different schools, graduation rates have increased, advancing the socioeconomic standing of the community.

Build a brand new elementary school to serve the community.

This Agricultural Sciences facility was born with the realization of increasing expectations for student preferences, graduation requirements, and growth in the district and community usage. Serving the district’s K-12 population of over 87,000 students, this facility was built on the important historical aspects of the agriculture industry that has existed in this community for decades. This modernized structure incorporates instruction, rodeo, and a venue for community events.

The project is a replacement of a 1961 school and was carefully designed to be constructed on-site with the school in session in the existing building. After completion, the old school was demolished and converted to a city park. The main feature is the central, three-story high Commons. STEM Labs comprise a major portion of the school and are adjacent to the Library / Media Center and near the Commons. STEM disciplines include Aquaponics, Engineering, PITSCO Lab, Audio/Video Production, and others.

This neighborhood elementary school has a campus-wide focus on literacy and serves three district special ed programs. Like its neighborhood, it has some age on it, but innovative thinking activated a hidden treasure. By rehabilitating a dark, dank concrete area with a district grant, they created an inclusive, activity-based, open-air learning environment. Equipment designed for multisensory learning enhances social, emotional, and academic discovery for children of all ages and abilities.

The district is in the petrochemical corridor in unincorporated Houston. It serves a richly diverse population. Known for industry, it traditionally has not been recognized for its schools. As a tight-knit community, the replacement of their high school (a 50-year-old building) on a new site presented bold opportunities. The rebirth of the high school was deeply embraced. It is iconic, a destination for personalized learning, and a symbol that all students deserve high-quality education.

The 9th Grade Center was a solution to multiple challenges. A middle school adjacent to an overcrowded high school with declining achievement scores was a prime location to redefine the 9th-grade concept. The facility alleviates the overcrowding and gives 9th-graders additional developmental time with enhanced support services. Its interconnectivity to nature and the surrounding community reinforces academic, emotional, and social goals within a cloistered environment.