Andy Dekaney High School awarded prestigious Caudill Award for Excellence in Planning and Design
This is the third consecutive year SHW Group’s design has won the award
HOUSTON, November 2
4, 2008 – Andy Dekaney High School, which opened in August 2007 in Houston, Texas, has won the prestigious 2008 Caudill Award, the highest architectural honor awarded at the Texas Association of School Boards’ and the Texas Association of School Administrators’ annual convention. The campus was designed by SHW Group, one of the largest educational architecture and design firms in the U.S, while Gilbane Building Company served as the general contractor.
As part of the 2008 School Exhibit of Architecture Competition, the school was selected from among 97 school projects that are required to be a public education facility in the state of Texas and substantially completed between September 1, 2003, and January 1, 2008. The winner of the Caudill Award must exemplify excellence in design, innovation, educational appropriateness, process of planning, sustainability and value.
An example of how construction can be used to impact instruction, the interior of the 486,000- square-foot building was designed to meet the needs of individuals. SHW Group’s design goal was to provide a learning environment not typical of most large schools, in which size impacts learning and affects students’ sense of community and belonging. Thus, a design was envisioned that would break the large school down into smaller learning academies and grade-level housing.
“This school has been built to house small, learning communities where students can receive personalized instruction and relationships can be developed among students and staff,” said principal Phil Eaton.
Inspired by the natural setting of the site, SHW Group developed the design concept of a mountain lodge theme. Lodge theme features include an entrance sign made of cedar and planks, local hand-molded bricks harkening back to another era, and galvanized stairs and handrails that wear and age richly while connecting each generation of students to the next. Connected by a “main street corridor,” the academic portion of the school is divided into four houses, with distinctive features such as wainscoting and varying wood types and door surrounds to foster each student group’s own identity. Other spaces along the corridor include a large group instruction area, auditorium, coffee shop, music, choir and arts halls, a black-box theater with traditional marquee, administration spaces, two practice gymnasiums, a practice pool, library and cafeteria.
Supporting a capacity of 2,500 students in the 9th through 12th grades, the high school is the result of a “visioning process” conducted jointly by the Spring ISD and SHW during the 2002 and 2003 school years. Members of the Board of Trustees, campus and central administrators, teachers and architects/planners participated in a four-month series of workshops to explore broad educational concepts. Among the topics discussed were the following: school and class size; the relevance and availability of technology; organization of educational programs and spaces; how instruction should be delivered; and security and maintenance concerns. The overriding concept was that “instruction should drive construction.” The results were formally approved by the Board of Trustees and the project was included in a successful bond election in September of 2003.
SHW is very familiar with the industry recognition as the firm has successfully partnered with other clients in designing Caudill award-winning schools in Texas, including McKinney High School, McKinney ISD (1985), Birdville High School, Birdville ISD (2000), Roy Lee Walker Elementary School, McKinney ISD (2001), Gloria Cisneros Pre-Kindergarten, Garland ISD (2006) and Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, Spring ISD (2007).
About the Caudill Award
The Caudill Award winner is recognized annually at the TASA/TASB Convention in honor of William Caudill, FAIA, and his distinctive, innovative achievements in the architectural field. The School Exhibit of Architecture Competition is a collaborative project of the Texas Association of School Administrators, the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Society of Architects that highlights new educational construction and renovation projects in Texas that have taken place over the past five years, and acknowledges excellence in the planning and design of Texas public-education facilities.
About SHW Group
Specializing in both K-12 and higher educational projects, SHW Group is one of the world’s largest educational architecture and design firms. More than just an architecture firm, the company is known for its comprehensive collaboration with educators, cognitive researchers and strategic planners to design innovative facilities that support the learning process. Founded in 1945, SHW Group has grown to nearly 400 employees and seven studios nationwide. For more information, please visit www.shwgroup.com.
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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191
