Dallas ISD, Georgetown ISD, Mansfield ISD, and Round Rock ISD have been selected to receive the 2019-20 Caudill Award, the highest honor in the annual Exhibit of School Architecture competition facilitated by TASA and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) for projects that exemplify excellence in planning and design of the learning environment. The architectural projects will be on display in the exhibit hall and the winners will be recognized at the 2020 TASA Midwinter Conference in Austin January 27-28.
The winning projects received at least four stars from six areas of distinction, making them eligible for the Caudill Award, which is named after Texas architect William Wayne Caudill (1914–1983), whose progressive concepts continue to influence school design.
Dallas ISD won for the Solar Preparatory School for Girls at James B. Bonham. The 1923 structure received a two-story addition and renovation. The district’s first all-girls STEAM Academy features exploratory academic spaces, learning stairs for informal/group education, and transparent spaces with sliding glass doors for learning on display. BWA Architects designed the project.
Georgetown ISD won for its adaptive reuse of a historic and iconic 1924 building to create The Hammerlun Center for Leadership and Learning. Formerly a high school, junior high, and elementary school, Hammerlun is the district’s center for adult learning. While primarily a training and testing ground for the school district, other organizations are drawn to its potential and utilize the space for educational summits. The design, by Huckabee, is rooted in the district’s Learner Profile, emphasizing choice and voice.
Mansfield ISD won for the Dr. Sarah K. Jandrucko Academy for Early Learners. The new 54,340-square-foot early learning academy brings museum-level engagement to the school environment. The school is arranged into four pods, each with four interactive learning experiences. The pods also contain a multi-use commons, outdoor courtyard and age-appropriate amenities. Huckabee worked to ensure all design elements tie directly into curriculum and professional learning.
Round Rock ISD won for its Nature to Neighborhood Studio, designed by Pfluger Architects. On a bluff between campus and preserved canyonland, The Studio is a hybrid of nature and structure. Materials and openings spark curiosity from outside while disappearing from within. Woven rebar mimics overlapping branches and twigs, allowing birds and small animals to perch there and give students a close-up view of nature. The supported experiences expand the campus vision for talent development, joyful learning, and creative innovation.
The Exhibit of School Architecture awards are given at the discretion of a 12-member jury (four school board members, four administrators, two representatives from the Texas Society of Architects and two representatives from the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). The Caudill Award winners were chosen from among 34 projects awarded Stars of Distinction in the areas of community, planning, transformation, design, value and sustainability.
