The Harvey Schools

Houston ISD

Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston and left a devastating mark on nearly everything it touched. The floodwaters had barely receded when the district decided that four neighborhood elementary schools had to be razed and rebuilt. They needed a compact, scalable design with a price tag they could afford—and fast. The storm’s severity meant designers had to address new and constantly changing regulations. Within six months, all four schools were submitted for city review, establishing design precedence for the updated floodplain codes.

To support a range of learning styles and evolving pedagogies, the district stressed flexibility. They got that, and a lot more, with a design that can be expanded with a simple building addition. Each school features classrooms that hug the perimeter for outdoor views; an integrated, decentralized library; collaborative spaces; and reading nooks. Using elements from the original schools and respecting each site’s character, Pfluger’s concept brings the past into the future.

Client Houston ISD
Category Prek-12
Awards American Schools & Universities- 2022 Educational Interiors Showcase: Outstanding Design | Classrooms
TASA/TASB Design Awards: Value

A silver lining

The rain after the storm

After such a destructive event, the silver lining was these neighborhood schools, not scheduled for updating, would be replaced. The new design promotes collaboration, awareness, engagement, and different learning settings for multiple teaching styles.

These students had their world turned upside down. Getting them back into a routine in their neighborhood school was paramount. Within three months, the resulting design was simultaneously sketched onto the four sites and submitted to the city for review, and three months later, construction began.

This building symbolizes the spirit of this community and our hopes for the future.

District Board Member

innovation

Keeping the natural flow of rainwater

All four schools were built in floodplains, and Harvey submerged them in up to seven feet of water. A new regulation, conveyance, now requires that water must be able to flow unimpeded in its natural direction.

Schools on a site with natural water flow must now be raised to allow water to flow beneath the structure. Meaning accessibility, student safety, driveways to the building, and ramps must be considered.

Today, the newly designed systems establish precedence for future construction in the area.

The goal of these campuses is to create connections that reinforce a sense of community. Open spaces work with smaller zones to create alternate learning settings, allowing students and teachers the chance to explore the educational process outside of the classroom.

This community had been through hell & high water. By rebuilding these campuses as quickly as possible, the district hoped to bring them one step closer to wholeness. Elements from the previous buildings were incorporated into the new designs. Doors, bricks, art, and signage were some of the salvaged artifacts that brought the past into the present—rebuilding a community garden and providing designated display space for student work reintroduces these schools to their unique communities.

Students played a big role in the process and design of their new schools in murals they designed. At one school, student handprints branch off a tree symbolizing their unity. At other schools, student sketches recreate murals lost from the old schools.