St. Andrew’s Episcopal School: More Than the Game
A Texas school’s new athletics complex and student union blends a collegiate-level sports facility with a gathering spot for a tight-knit school community.
By Wanda Lau
At St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, “athlete” is one of four pillars of the pedagogy, alongside scholar, artist and servant. Every student, from kindergarten to high school, is encouraged to participate in sports as part of their development into well-rounded individuals. As a result, the school’s two campuses host dozens of teams and leagues across a wide range of sports at every grade level; 80% of the student body participates on at least one team.
When St. Andrew’s started planning the merger of its middle school and upper school, a new athletics facility to solve the daily logjam of team practices, tournaments, games and events was a top priority. But the only site available for the facility, an underutilized 60-space parking lot on the outskirts of the campus abutting a detention pond, didn’t initially seem big enough for its ambitious goals or central enough to be a hub of student life. In addition to elevating the athletics program, school leaders wanted the facility to be a unifying destination for the campus and a venue to host school and community events.
The goal was to deliver a collegiate-level experience on a campus that sends 100% of students to higher education.
Connecting to the Community
St. Andrew’s, founded in 1952, prides itself on its 100% college matriculation rate and strong roots in the community. The need for a new facility was identified as part of a comprehensive site-planning effort that included LPA, educators, alumni, community members and students.
“Everyone understood that this facility would play an important part of life on campus,” says LPA Design Director Federico Cavazos. “We focused on strategies to get the most out of the site to live up to the school’s ambitious goals.”
To unlock the site area, the design team double cantilevered the facility’s upper floor to fit a two-court practice gymnasium. Together with the competition gymnasium, the facility provides three full-size courts, or six cross-courts.
Flexible rooms and spaces are designed to support activities identified by students, staff and the community.
The new building captures the warmth of Texas Hill Country with limestone walls, dark trim and wood-like soffits made of low-maintenance metal panels. Visitors entering the north athletics lobby from a pregame gathering plaza step into full view of the competition gymnasium beyond glazed pivot doors. “It’s like you’re on the court with the players the moment you walk in,” Cavazos says.
The building serves student-athletes in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse and field hockey, as well as any campus member interested in working out. A dance program was also added. Amenities include spacious locker rooms, training rooms with hydrotherapy tubs, a 4,000-square-foot fitness and weight room and a film room. Spaces are used in a variety of ways. Cheer and dance teams practice choreography in a multipurpose room, which doubles as a space for three golf simulators. Garage-style doors open up to a turf area for outdoor calisthenics and strength drills.
“The goal was always to provide a college-level facility,” Cavazos says.
The athletics complex can host conference events, tournaments and sports development leagues, generating rental revenue. The setup also supports St. Andrew’s servant pillar, including a commitment to host nonprofit organizations.
A Hub of Student Life
The student union occupies only 8,000 square feet of the facility, but it sees the most campus members daily. “We designed an inviting building that doesn’t just scream ‘sports,’” says LPA Project Architect Benjamin Hamilton. “The union draws in students to connect, do homework and socialize.”
A distinct entrance and lobby on the facility’s south side articulates this more intimate space. Covered outdoor seating on the ground and terrace levels provide expansive campus views. Inside, a variety of individual and group seating options are arranged around a spirit shop and a mural collage of tiles painted by current students and designed by an artist-alum.
The entire facility is designed to serve as a teaching tool. The Athletics Complex and Student Union is expected to use 30% to 40% of the energy of similar campus buildings, Armbruster says. Though the tight site largely dictated the facility’s footprint and orientation, LPA located windows, roof overhangs and tree plantings to minimize solar heat gain and maximize energy efficiency. Hamilton says: “We looked at how we could be most effective with our dollars.”
LPA’s prior involvement in the schoolwide comprehensive site plan informed an innovative approach for conditioning the facility. The complex is the first St. Andrew’s first project to have its own water-cooled central plant, a long-term solution suited for high-humidity spaces and designed to efficiently accommodate big swings in cooling demand.
The student union offers a variety of individual and group seating options, accented by a tile mural designed by an alum and painted by current students.
The system, combined with a solar-ready roof assembly, will make the project net zero or net positive in energy production once a planned installation of photovoltaic panels is completed. “This building exemplifies to students the importance of being a responsible citizen of the world,” Armbruster says.
Two gymnasiums are designed to handle multiple events and practices, easing the daily backlog of activities.
Everlasting Spirit
Since the project’s opening, students have embraced what they have dubbed Highlander Hall, after the school’s mascot. Students are still exploring and finding new use for the spaces.
“The excitement hasn’t worn off,” Armbruster says. “The complex is busy all the time.”
The facility also fields visits by St. Andrew’s alumni and athletic directors from other schools, who are eager to learn from it. “This project shows what we can do when we come together,” Armbruster says. “It sets us up for success and future growth.”
Windows, roof overhangs and tree plantings were designed to minimize solar heat gain and maximize energy efficiency.
Wanda Lau is a writer and editor based outside Chicago. Her work has appeared in Architect, Architectural Record, Interior Design, Residential Design and Dwell.
