Walsh Elementary School: An Anchor for the Aledo Community

WalshAledo, Texas – VLK Architects is proud to announce the grand opening of Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Elementary School. This new elementary, serving students in kindergarten through 5th grade, will be the first Aledo ISD campus within the City of Fort Worth, and the first school located in the new Walsh development. A dedication ceremony was held on August 25th and district officials as well as the Fort Worth and Aledo community members came out to celebrate the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year in this new state-of-the-art campus.

Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price attended the groundbreaking ceremony last fall and said, “it was exciting to be on-site to break ground for the first Aledo ISD school in Fort Worth City limits. Not only will this serve as the anchor school in the Walsh development, but we trust that it will further strengthen our already robust relationship between the city and Aledo ISD moving forward.”
Walsh Elementary was designed to promote professional staff development through teacher planning rooms, contain flexible learning spaces, and include ample outdoor learning opportunities through local parks and trails. This innovative 100,132 sf school will also feature a geothermal well system, collaborative break out spaces, and 30 standard classrooms.

“Aledo ISD has embraced this opportunity for Walsh Elementary to introduce a forward thinking approach to both education and facilities,” said Ross Rivers, VLK Principal. “Transformative teaching is enabled by grade level teacher collaboration and lesson design rooms. Energy efficiency is achieved through carefully selected building materials, mechanical systems, and lighting. Transparency both across and throughout the building will allow for natural light, as well as a visual connection to the exterior. The two level design and building configuration take advantage of the naturally sloping landscape to provide exciting outdoor learning opportunities directly from both floors.”

“VLK Architects has been fortunate to have a strong relationship with Aledo ISD for over 15 years and while there have been many victories, Walsh Elementary is an accomplishment unlike any other,” said Leesa Vardeman, VLK Partner. “Not only is the design of this facility innovative and flexible for students, but it provides educators spaces of their own to freely collaborate amongst their teams which directly impacts the quality of instruction students receive. Also, as the first Aledo ISD school located in the City of Fort Worth and the first educational facility in the new Walsh development, Walsh Elementary proves that education will be the cornerstone of success for this upcoming community. We are excited to see how this new school impacts future generations for many years to come.”

The first day of school for Walsh Elementary was August 28th. 

For more,information, visit www.vlkarchitects.com.

Featured

  • Tennessee State University Gains Approval for New Engineering Facility

    Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., recently announced that it has received approval from the Tennessee State Building Commission to build a new engineering building on campus, according to a university news release. The 70,000-square-foot, $50-million facility will play home to the university’s engineering programs and the Applied & Industrial Technology program.

  • Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Case Study Highlights Texas District’s Campus Security Upgrades

    The Taft Independent School District near Corpus Christi, Texas, recently partnered with Intech Southwest Services to revamp its campus security technology system, according to a news release. Intech has released a case study on its website detailing the process that advanced the district’s technology by more than 20 years in less than three weeks.

  • New Campus Stadiums Evolve Beyond Sports into Community Assets

    New campus planning documents reveal an abundance of high interest in new stadiums, or renovations and repurposing projects for existing facilities. Many universities, in fact, are developing campus complexes with new stadiums as a draw for retail, hotels, and student housing. Multipurpose facilities with high-end features are being designed to attract large sports events of various types, concerts, and other university functions.

Digital Edition