San Antonio Academy

The San Antonio Academy is a 19,500 SF Fine Arts and Athletics Facility for this prestigious private military school in the heart of San Antonio. The design reacts to the context in the historic neighborhood of Monte Vista and utilizes thoughtful overhangs and graceful appropriation of light. It’s location on the campus anchors a new entry for the Academy and provides much needed facility updates for their burgeoning Fine Arts department and robust athletic programs.

The building design thoughtfully takes cues from the massing techniques of neighboring historic buildings to bring a human scale the challenging volume of a gymnasium. South facing porches, roof overhangs, deep stucco with bull-nosed corners reinterpret and advance the local vernacular. The harsh South Texas sun is harnessed through daylighting strategies that are orientation specific, including horizontal louvers, raked eave overhangs and proximity to adjacent trees. Its location on campus will allow it to serve as the “new entry” to the Academy while still maintaining critical fire safety access problems with grace.The interior uses materials common to the campus with heavy expanses of maple plywood, exposed tongue and groove structural wood decking and polished concrete.