In Austin, the Rosedale School has opened for students with special needs aged 3 to 22. The new facility features sensory rooms, fully accessible playgrounds and gardens, community meeting spaces, and an on-site clinic. The school serves 100 learners with special needs from across Austin Independent School District (ISD).
Replacing the original Rosedale Elementary School, which was created in 1988, the new Rosedale School has been organized into learning areas serving specific populations of students: medically fragile, social and behavioral disorders, and transition to life in the community. The design of each area, or neighborhood, takes inspiration from the natural environment—such as the colors and patterns of vegetation, the movement of water, and the shapes of wildlife. These areas, as well as shared community spaces, are connected via a central hub that’s referred to as the living room.
To provide comprehensive assistance for students with diverse physical needs, the school features patient lifts inside the classrooms. These lifts help teachers safely and efficiently move students who need additional physical assistance, and they ensure that every child can participate fully in educational activities.
Throughout the campus, murals of iconic Austin landmarks such as Barton Springs, food truck parks, and Lady Bird Lake connect the school with the larger community. The school’s park remains open to the public after hours.
In partnership with the healthcare center Ascension Seton, the school also has an on-site pediatric clinic that serves both Rosedale students and the larger community. Austin ISD hopes the combination of a school and clinic serving individuals with medical and behavioral needs will serve as a model across the country.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Austin ISD (clinic owned by Dell Children’s Medical Center, part of Ascension Medical Group)
Architect and interior designer: Page Southerland Page
Landscape designer: Asakura Robinson Company
Civil engineer: Garza EMC
Structural engineer: Datum Rios
MEP engineer: CNG Engineering
General contractor: Rogers-O’Brien Construction
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2013
IBM's five tech-driven innovation predictions for the next five years [infographics]
Smart classrooms, DNA-based medical care, and wired cities are among the technology-related innovations identified by IBM researchers for the company's 5 in 5 report.
| Dec 16, 2013
Irving, Texas building state’s second net-zero school
Lee Elementary School, scheduled to open in fall 2014, will be net-zero-ready, and if the school board decides to sell district bonds and allow the purchase of additional solar panels, will be a true net-zero facility.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 5, 2013
Exclusive BD+C survey shows reaction to Sandy Hook tragedy
More than 60% of AEC professionals surveyed by BD+C said their firms experienced heightened interest in security measures from school districts they worked with.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.
| Nov 19, 2013
Top 10 green building products for 2014
Assa Abloy's power-over-ethernet access-control locks and Schüco's retrofit façade system are among the products to make BuildingGreen Inc.'s annual Top-10 Green Building Products list.
| Nov 18, 2013
ASSA ABLOY, CertainTeed team up to tackle classroom acoustics
The new alliance has uncovered easily accessible solutions to address these acoustical challenges and reduce the sound reverberation that further complicates noise issues.
