Austin ISD Sánchez Elementary School

Austin, Texas

Firm

McKinney York Architects

Client

Austin Independent School District

Area

80,341 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$21,800,000

Completion Date

11/2021

Leonid Furmansky

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The double-headed Aztec serpent represents duality—connection between past and future and a link between different worlds; because it sheds its skin, it expresses renewal, growth, and transformation. More than the school’s mascot, the serpent is a fitting concept for the rejuvenation of Sánchez Elementary, which links a proud past with an optimistic future, and a neighborhood with the broader city. The facility transforms lives through education.

Situated between east Austin and the city’s downtown, the school champions two-way dual-language education. Dual entries, connected by a central spine, welcome students arriving by bus, by car, or on foot. The spine provides an organizing axis and connects the gathering spaces and learning neighborhoods. It is lined with a striking serpentine skin that reveals itself on the exterior.

The result is an inclusive school that celebrates bilingual Spanish-English culture; reconciles historical East-West disparities; and embodies the community’s voiced values of equity, flexibility, and connectivity.