New High School Planned in Austin, Texas

The Austin, Texas office of global architecture and design firm Perkins+Will has been selected as the architect for Austin ISD’s (Texas) new $80-million Eastside Memorial Early College High School and International High School, following the board’s recommendation last night. Located at the original L.C. Anderson High School campus on Thompson Street, the facility is part of the district’s recently approved $1.05-billion bond program and is one of 16 schools slated for campus improvement projects or replacements throughout the district.

Perkins+Will’s role as lead architect on the project will include designing the first new ground up high school in almost twenty years in Austin ISD.  It will be designed around the district’s vision to “Reinvent the Urban School” and include multi-purpose community rooms and a gallery area in celebration of the L.C. Anderson High School legacy. The new school will be located at the site of the original African American school that was forced to shut down in 1971 by court order.

“We are honored to be awarded this meaningful project for Austin ISD,” said Angela Whitaker-Williams, associate principal and Austin education practice leader at Perkins+Will. “The alumni of the original school are thrilled the new school will reopen as a new hope for the community about the same time as their 50-year class reunion. We are deeply honored to play such a key role in preserving this important part of the school’s history and building a new future for Eastside Memorial Early College and International High Schools.”

The high school, based on multiculturalism and career tech programs, will be across the street from the Eastview campus of Austin Community College, presenting unique opportunities for higher education collaboration for the Early College programs.

Featured

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.

  • Building Beyond Simulation: Creating Immersive Ecosystems for Healthcare Education

    Health sciences education is one of the fastest-growing facility types in colleges and universities. The demand for medical, nursing, and allied health professionals is driving the creation and renovation of medical simulation training facilities that provide students with real-world experience through advanced simulation-based learning.