Fort Bend ISD, Lakeview Elementary School

Since its opening in 1918, Fort Bend ISD’s Lakeview Elementary School campus has grown alongside the city of Sugar Land, having been added to and altered in nearly every decade of the 20th century. A 2018 bond allocated funds for the district to replace the 100-year-old campus. The new facility maintains the school’s history and traditions while incorporating innovative design concepts to inspire future generations of learners. Views of nature, opportunities for movement, outdoor learning spaces, and inclusive design features reflect the goal of the project, activated learning and play.

Throughout the project’s design, the focus was on making sure the diversity of the community was expressed, ensuring the important aspects of the school’s history were celebrated, and creating a school that is innovative and inspiring for students. The gym and natatorium space were seen as important elements to be preserved. The wood gym floor was repurposed in the new elementary gym, the bleachers were repurposed as a social stair and wood trim around the windows in the cafeteria and library, and the natatorium was removed to provide more street frontage.

Wellness is intrinsic with the integration of interior and outdoor learning spaces. Collaboration zones open into covered porches, outdoor classrooms, and a courtyard space. A covered canopy at the cafeteria allows for outside dining, and the raised deck that protects the roots of the heritage trees is used for learning, performance, and play.

The new front entry is visible and welcoming, and the integrated car drop-off provides cover without looking like an add-on. Asphalt walks and derelict canopies are replaced by wood decks and native grasses where old trees are given new life. Once a disconnected and open school, the new campus is transformed into a connected, safe, and inspired campus in Sugar Land.

Additional Information

Other projects from this professional

Humble ISD Kingwood Middle School

Humble ISD’s Kingwood Middle School resides on over 18 acres and is...

The Branch School, Hightower Middle School

The Branch School is an independent private school in west Houston for...

San Jacinto College, Anderson-Ball Classroom Building

Design Team Gary Machicek, Michelle Old, Kevin Giuseppetti The new San Jacinto College Classroom...

Austin ISD Norman-Sims Elementary School

Norman-Sims Elementary represents the union of two schools in the historically African...

Load more