North East I.S.D.
San Antonio, Texas
Designed as a prototype middle school for the North East Independent School District, Harris Middle School is a 198,362 square foot school built for 1500 students. The unique design process started with visits to exemplary schools nationwide, and then utilized many charettes and brainstorming sessions (with teachers, board members, designers, consultants, etc.) to develop the most efficient program for the District. The building was strategically placed on the site (a tract of land surrounded by neighborhood developments) in order to minimize its impact and to accommodate the unusual characteristics of the site:an elongated narrow site with significant grade changes. The layout of the school is focused around a wide, straight corridor that becomes the main circulation space, with each “teaching house” branching off this central mall. The long corridor allows visibility from one end of the school to the other, and the clerestory windows along its path shower the corridor with natural light. Every effort was made to conserve as many of the existing trees and site as possible. The natural texture of the exterior brick and block tie the building into its site, while its bright colors and wide expanses of glass distinguish it, thereby maintaining its presence as a beacon of education.
Project Slideshow
