New school artist renderings presented at Wednesday, January 18th meeting at the Herby Ham Activity Center
The Uvalde CISD moving forward foundation presented several artist renderings at a public meeting earlier this week giving the public a glimpse of what the new school would look like. Huckabee Architects and the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee have been working together on this project.
The following statement was released Friday, January 20th by the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation providing a summary of what was discussed at the public meeting:
“In the wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary School, the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation was established to help collect funding for the construction of a new elementary campus in the Uvalde CISD which is estimated to cost $60 million. After the funds are raised and the school is built, the Foundation will donate the new school to the Uvalde CISD.
The renderings of the exterior schematic design shared on January 18 are the result of the continued work of Huckabee Architects and the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee. This group of community members was appointed by the school district in August and include local leaders, educators, and parents working hand in hand with the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation to inform the process of building the new elementary school from design to construction.
The Committee has been meeting with the architects designing the school for the past six months and has had input in every decision. Renderings of the interior schematic design will be presented to the community on March 21 and the Committee will make a recommendation to the school board on the entire schematic design on March 27. Construction of the school is scheduled to begin in June of 2023 with substantial completion of the school scheduled to be in October of 2024.
School safety and security has been one of the main drivers during the design process of the new elementary school. The new school itself provides many opportunities for focusing on safety measures as school design has evolved since Robb Elementary was constructed. The design of the school is also intentional to address safety and security for the longevity of the building. The design conversation is ongoing through the completion of the design process. The finalized design will be unveiled on March 21.
The following school safety and security features were Included in the exterior renderings released:
- a single point of entry/exit for visitors
- four plate steel gates for student and staff entry/exit
- an interior courtyard
- an interior play area for students with special needs,
- and security fencing for the outdoor play area and field.
The steel gates will be 9’4″ tall and will have tiny perforations in it to allow for air flow (seen in fourth rendering image). The perforations in each gate will also be patterned to highlight a component of the Uvalde community.
There are other school safety and security features that will not be shared publicly so as to protect the safety and security of the teachers, faculty, students, and parents who will utilize the new school.”
Prior to this meeting, the two entities held a public meeting on November 14th, 2022. At that meeting, Advisory Committee members and representatives from the Huckabee Architectural firm reported on their combined work and decision making process up to that point. The Advisory Committee announced the conceptual design they selected from a slate of other designs. The Committee also recommended the new school be constructed at a site near Dalton Elementary School. The Committee’s decisions were then presented to the Uvalde CISD School Board on Wednesday, November 16th. The Board voted to approve the Committee’s recommendations.
