Thomas G. Harris Elementary School

Harris Elementary School creates a healthy, equitable learning environment for an underserved East Austin community, prioritizing student well-being, security, and stability. The campus uses a “Neighborhood Collab” model shaped through a collaborative process that engaged teachers, district representatives, staff, parents, students, and community members. Each neighborhood is centered on a flexible “Collab Space” featuring diverse seating, an “All-Learners” restroom block, and direct access to outdoor learning spaces. Nooks, small-group spaces, and collaborative areas offer multiple scales for learning, and every scale supports an inclusive community, reflecting the needs of a high special-education population and their families. Harris’s signature “Circle Time” gathering approach inspired fenestration, finishes, and furniture, and the large contiguous learning neighborhoods required significant corridors. To support these often-used connections, the design team incorporated soothing colors, whimsy, daylight, and scale changes.

“Harris Elementary School, in a very subtle way, struck all of us with its incredible, simple use of materiality and a kit of parts. It’s just so smart. The wood siding, the careful insertion of muted color as a way to bring forth color, branding, and energy into an elementary school, yet still be respectful of the space and create a sort of timeless design.” —Chris Baribeau, FAIA

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