“The project creates a series of joyful spaces for learning, both indoor and outdoor.”
— Roberto de Leon, FAIA
“There are a number of architectural events that occur through this project that create spatial activity for the kids, and there’s a push and pull both vertically and horizontally—in the plan, in the section, even in the elevations to an extent—that articulate these special moments in the project.”
— Gordon Gill, FAIA
Location Houston
Client The Branch School
Architect Kirksey Architecture
Design Team Nicola Springer, AIA, Michelle Old, AIA, Linda Camacho, Brian Thompson
Contractor D.E. Harvey Builders
Civil Engineer Duplantis Design Group
MEP Engineer CMTA
Structural Engineer Pinnacle Structural Engineers
Technology Consultant DataCom Design Group
Acoustical Consultant Jaffe Holden
Accessibility Consultant Winning Way Services
Landscape Architect Wong & Associates
Photographers Slyworks Photography
The Branch School is an independent pre-K–8 private school in West Houston that focuses on developing collaborative and respectful future leaders. The design team and the Branch School worked together to create a new master plan and middle school building to accommodate the school’s growth and approach to project-based learning. The new two-story, 29,000-sf net-zero building is designed to meet LEED Silver certification and to be used as a teaching tool. The project incorporates water, energy, and wind strategies, including: the conveyance of water offsite through native bioswales; geothermal wells; and a wind scoop and wind hearth. The project site is developed to facilitate learning both inside and out, with classrooms, studios, outdoor learning spaces, a walking trail, a garden, a weather station pavilion, and a teaching courtyard.