Integrated design firm wins fourth CAE honor in five years for
reimagining century-old Sidney Lanier High
School into a modern, light-filled, carbon-sensitive
facility that preserves the school's historic links to the
community.
SAN
ANTONIO, June 18, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- LPA
Design Studios received an Education Facility Design Award of
Excellence last week from the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) — the
industry's highest national honor for education design — for the
renovation of Sidney Lanier High
School in San Antonio,
Texas.
"Lanier was a labor of love for everyone
involved. This award is shared by everyone who attended a meeting
or shared an idea during this process." -- Kate Mraw, Director of K-12
Lanier High School is the fourth LPA project in five years to
win the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE)'s top
honor, which annually celebrates the nation's best examples of
"state-of-the-art education environments." This year, 15 projects
were honored in a black-tie ceremony on June
7 at the National Building Museum, in Washington D.C., during the 2024 AIA
Conference on Architecture & Design.
The Lanier design was honored for transforming a windowless,
175,000-square-foot brick-clad box into a bright, open array of
learning environments where 100% of spaces have access to natural
light and views. Developed through a deep collaboration with
educators, parents, alumni and students, the renovated century-old
building advances the local culture and learning goals for
San Antonio's Westside, a largely
Mexican-American community that often felt left behind.
"Lanier was a labor of love for everyone involved," says LPA
Director of K-12 Kate Mraw. "This
award is shared by everyone who attended a meeting or shared an
idea during this process."
The AIA-CAE specifically cited LPA for bringing sustainability
to a project type — and budget level — that often doesn't address
carbon emission goals. The renovation preserved the "bones" of the
aging building, including the concrete structure and the majority
of the brick arches of the exterior wall, cutting construction
costs and offsetting about 4,000 metric tons of carbon. The
introduction of natural light, a heat reflecting roof and efficient
systems helped reduce the school's energy operating costs by
60%.
"This is a very successful renovation that maintains the
school's culture but adds sustainability," the AIA-CAE jury said.
"The team maintained the original building but transformed it into
a light-filled space with views."
The design also reflects Lanier's unique connection to Westside
and its Hispanic community. Westside and Lanier are home to the
development of "mural culture" in San
Antonio, which is celebrated throughout the modern facility,
including preserved murals, a digital museum and display space for
a new generation of artists.
"Lanier High School is a vital part of the San Antonio Westside
community; its gateway," says LPA Design Director Federico Cavazos. "We wanted to deliver a
facility that would make the people proud and recognize as their
own."
Since it opened in 2022, the new facility has raised morale and
student outcomes, according to then-Lanier principal Dr.
Moises Ortiz.
"This building has been our Wizard of Oz moment – when we have
gone from black and white to color," Dr. Ortiz said.
This is the ninth national AIA-CAE award for LPA's education
practice.
Media Contact
Daniel Scheuerman, LPA Design
Studios, 949.701.4180, dscheuerman@lpadesignstudios.com,
https://lpadesignstudios.com/
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SOURCE LPA Design Studios