The project focuses on improving the sustainability of the 247-acre campus, designing a shift from a vehicular orientation to one that encourages pedestrian, bicycle, and transit use. Site design strategies employ indigenous plant materials and natural water retention and filtration for low-maintenance landscaping. Phase 1 includes site design for one of Latin America’s most architecturally significant buildings, by Tadao Ando: Centro Roberto Garza Sada de Arte, the Gate of Creation, won Wallpaper magazine’s Best Building of 2014 Award. Phase 2 of the project addresses A) the campus threshold and related security issues; B) a dynamic plaza space that ties together a future performing arts center and a future joint campus/community fitness complex; C) another plaza space at the heart of the campus that creates a connection between the Campus Student Center and the Rectoria, the seat of the school administration; and D) reclamation of a central green space that allows for more programmed usage. The project has LEED certification in progress for the Gate of Creation area.
University of Houston Law Center
The University of Houston Law Center, established in 1947, has earned national recognition, with three of its programs ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News and World Report. Despite these academic accolades, the original Law Center building faced significant challenges due to its location and design. Situated in Houston’s low-lying coastal prairie ecoregion...
Foothill Community College
SWA’s design for Foothill College is an exemplary model of site, building, and landscape harmony. The 100-acre campus bridges two hilltops, with parking and roadways relegated to the surrounding valleys. Buildings and landscape together form a series of courts and terraces connected by a continuous campus greenway. Overhanging wood eaves of the low profile bui...
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
This project regenerates a spectacular, historic cliff-side waterfront site by activating it with new purpose. Working carefully to interweave layers of preservation and natural beauty, the building and landscape work together to leave a light footprint. Today, a distinctive global campus honors the history of its earlier occupation while providing inspiration...
CyFair College
The CyFair College Campus is a model for environmentally responsible development and restoration of a sensitive ecosystem. Located on the suburban fringe of northwest Houston, it is surrounded by the Katy Prairie, an endangered ecosystem of coastal prairie grass meadows marked by groves of trees and connected to a system of wetlands, bayous, and ponds.
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