A sustainable landscape for a local high school that creates unique spaces for outdoor learning, lunchtime gathering, and socializing on campus.
The school’s green space provides much needed recreational for the surrounding urban community.
The main courtyard is designed for students to congregate in small or large groups. The second courtyard is developed as an amphitheater and outdoor dining area.
Sustainable landscape features include edible gardens, rainwater harvesting tanks, native and drought tolerant plantings, low-water irrigation systems relying solely on rainwater, and two roof gardens that serve as classroom space and reducing heat island effect.
The Carnegie Vanguard High School was designed and constructed with the goal to create a “school as an interactive place for talent development and support the act of learning”. With over 600 students, the top tier performing arts school moved to a new location in the historic Fourth Ward near Downtown Houston. The site includes an existing historic Settegast building which was re-purposed as the fine arts complex for the school.
Other priorities included LEED certification, adding more space for theater and fine arts, and preserving green space.
The landscape features a central courtyard, an amphitheater, neighborhood access points, pedestrian sidewalks, a baseball field, community gardens, and roof garden. Views and pedestrian connections to downtown and the surrounding Fourth Ward are highlighted throughout the landscape. Sustainable landscape features include edible gardens, rainwater harvesting tanks, native and drought tolerant plantings, low-water irrigation systems relying solely on rainwater, and two roof gardens that serve as classroom space.
