CYPRESS-FAIRBBANKS ISD

Elementary School #59

Huckabee is excited to collaborate with Cypress-Fairbanks ISD on Elementary School #59. Located on a 14-acre site, this facility is intended to be a welcome part of the daily life of its community and all that reside within. The school will house students from pre-K through 5th grade. Specific attention was paid to the placement of the building to minimize the impact of traffic generation on the community.

Using a robust visioning process, Huckabee and CFISD explored concepts of student autonomy, power commons, campus identity and symbolism to prioritize elements of function and design for the new facility. The school centers around the concept of student autonomy. Classroom wings are sequentially arranged based upon age and grade in a progressive manner so that lower grades are closer to admin while upper grades have a greater sense of autonomy. Flex space within the wings is suited to fit the age group and instructional needs.

The core of the facility is the power commons which connects administrative and academic areas to the library, cafeteria and gym. The high-volume space offers site lines from the 2-story academic wings and into the cafeteria and performance platform. A kiva, teacher workroom and flex space create a dynamic library space. A large outdoor space is adjacent to the commons, allowing access to the outdoors for numerous programs such as art and student learning activities.

The style of the school and its connection to community reflect identity and symbolism. The campus is designed to support an open, welcoming and accepting culture. Through both space—indoors and out—and use of color, lighting and physical elements, the design achieves this goal.