Located in an area north of Fort Worth, the Keller Independent School District needed a school campus that would accommodate the growing population of young families. The number of new students didn’t warrant the district building two new schools so they opted to combine both middle and intermediate education programs at one campus.
The result is a two-story, 190,000-square-foot campus that will accommodate up to 1,200 students. The floor plan features separate wings and drop-off areas for the middle and intermediate school populations with shared core elements. The athletics department has both a competition gym and a practice gym, and a weight room serves as an exercise gym for teachers and staff.
Collaborative learning areas are located throughout the building, including in the courtyard between the two wings. Classrooms have rotating project walls that can be turned toward the collaborative areas. These were custom-made for the school by a manufacturer that now has this in their regular product line.
This state-of-the-art facility is certified LEED Silver for Schools and incorporates energy efficient systems such as geothermal heating/cooling, daylight harvesting and solar-controlled sun louvers. These technologies not only save energy but can be incorporated into the school’s science curriculum.
A chief goal of the district for this school was to use technology as a tool for learning, and the design incorporated the most technologically advanced computer and IT systems available. A library for a school this size would normally encompass 7,000 square feet, but the library at Timberview is only 2,000 square feet due to the district’s commitment to digital learning. That accommodation had to be approved by the Texas Education Agency, and it created the need for ample recharging stations for digital learning tools such as laptop computers and tablets.
Initial project estimates for the $34 million project came in at $4 million below budget, which allowed the district to put $2 million back into the facility. The district held design charretts with students, and many of their ideas were designed into the school. Designing for the two age groups created some special challenges, such as blending the heights for toilets and chairs.
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