Texas architects reveal the first look at new $60 million Uvalde school to replace Robb Elementary
Board members of Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, are voting on a $60 million design for their new school nearly a year after a shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.
A Texas architecture firm based in Fort Worth has been working closely with the community for the past seven months, with final approval on Monday night.
Chris Huckabee, CEO of the architectural firm that donated their professional services, explained how the designers wanted to give the community time to heal somewhat before they had a chance to provide design input for the new building.
“We felt like it had to be very deliberate and we had to take the time it took for the community to heal through this process,” he shared NBC Dallas.
“This has been a really tough project and as we see it, it’s part of their collective healing,” Huckabee said.
The American and Texas flags fly high above the entrance to the new Uvalde Elementary
Members of the Uvalde, Texas school board vote on the design of a new campus to replace Robb Elementary School nearly a year after the shooting. In the photo a courtyard
A Fort Worth architectural firm has been working with the community for the past seven months, and the final step now requires school board approval. In the photo, learning stairs
The new school will cost $60 million and include enhanced security features; it is expected to be completed within 18 months. Pictured, academic collaboration space
Chris Huckabee, is the CEO of the architectural firm that worked with the community to create the designs for the new school
The project, which is expected to be completed in 18 months, will be guided by the Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation.
The non-profit organization will own the new school before it is donated to the district.
Huckabee’s team has made numerous calls and presentations to secure funding and is still seeking an additional $10 million.
‘What I’m most proud of is that I didn’t make a call to build a new school for the Uvalde community, which I got a no to. Everyone I’ve called and asked for help has said yes, they have wholeheartedly agreed to help,” he explained.
“What we’ve done is go around the state saying, ‘This is where we are and what we’re doing,'” Huckabee said. “We have asked communities to stand up. Subsequently, the Fort Worth community humbled me with the amount of money raised here and in Fort Worth. But Dallas has ramped up considerably, and really all over Texas. But I’ve been very proud of the DFW area and the dollars raised. We need to raise about 10 million more. I have a feeling we’ll get there. And I hope a few more generous owners come forward so we can make this a reality.”
Everything was chosen by the community, including the colors and carpeting. In the photo the library
An animation was released last week that allowed the community to see what the school for second, third and fourth graders will look like when it is finally built. In the photo the gymnasium
An outside view shows what the primary school looks like from the outside. The photo shows a view of the education wing of the school
The new school will include enhanced security features such as ballistic glass and an access card system.
“There’s a lot of ballistic glass in this building. There’s a lot of card access and entries and things like that. You can understand that there is a keen eye for security around this building. And we have a security expert who is very integral to the design to review everything in the building,” Huckabee said.
“Everything you would have in a modern building these days with cameras, secure entry, closed vestibules; everything you would want on a building today is definitely in this building, but those things are pretty typical in a modern school today.’
The design also includes a moving tribute to the lives lost in the shooting, featuring a symbolic tree with two large branches representing the two teachers who died and 19 smaller branches representing the young children who were all victims of the shooting. May 24, 2022 mass shooting.
The design also includes a moving tribute to the lives lost in the May 2022 shooting. Pictured is the main entrance to the school
Construction could start as early as July and the school could be ready to open in January 2025. In the photo the cafeteria
There will be a host of enhanced security features, including bulletproof glass and key card entry systems. In the photo one of the school corridors
An animation was released last week that allowed the community to see what the school for second, third and fourth graders will look like when it is finally built.
Huckabee explained that throughout the building, there were also many subtle ways to pay tribute to the victims, all consulting their families along the way.
‘With our team, the goal was to make this the community’s school. It wasn’t about outsiders coming to Uvalde and telling them what they were going to get. It would be about taking our time and listening and making sure that the families of the victims, the survivors, the community as a whole and certainly the school district guided the process,” said Huckabee.
A memorial is seen around the Robb Elementary School sign following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 26, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas
Crosses erected in honor of those killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting
The mass shooting on May 24, 2022 killed 19 students and 2 adults
“There are many ways in the building that recognize the victims in a very subtle way and some non-subtle ways throughout the building that have been guided with the consent of the families.”
Huckabee said the project was challenging and his team thought it was the hardest job they’ve ever done.
Huckabee says the project is a reflection of the community’s needs and desires, with the design developed to become the community’s new school while taking into account Uvalde’s heritage and values.
Huckabee hopes the community will embrace community and make it a place where students can feel comfortable and safe.
After the Uvalde school board voted on the design on Monday evening, the project will be put out to tender before construction can begin in July.
If everything goes according to plan, the building will be open to students from January 2025.