O'Connell Robertson Earns CEFPI Architecture Merit Award

Austin, Texas — O’Connell Robertson’s design of the new Success High School in Round Rock ISD earned one of two 2015 Architecture Merit Awards presented by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) Southern Region Chapter during the group’s annual conference in San Antonio on Saturday (April 11).

Award entries were evaluated according to criteria in each of the following categories: community environment, learning environment, physical environment, and planning process.

The 68,000 SF campus (located at 500 Gattis School Road in Round Rock) serves high school students who desire acceleration, need evening classes to better fit their personal schedules, or are in at-risk situations. The school was designed to provide maximum flexibility to support varying curriculum and class sizes with flexible and innovative learning spaces, integrated labs, design studios, small group rooms, and a discovery center that replaces the traditional library. A child care center for student parents also doubles as a teaching space for the Early Childhood Education curriculum. The campus features numerous sustainability strategies designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating.

“We are proud of this award that recognizes our partnership with RRISD in designing a progressive and unique educational environment that helps prepare all students for success after high school,” said Amy Jones, principal-in-charge of the Success High School project.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.