As part of the final phase to realize the vision set when the school acquired the campus in 2010, the Student Services Addition serves as a new front door. Its low profile and simple material palette of copper and cypress offer a quiet counterpoint to the original O’Neil Ford building. Housing administrative offices and a gallery, the addition also functions as a strategic security buffer for the classrooms beyond.
Project Statement
The Lamplighter School’s Student Services building is a key component in the campus master plan which seeks to revitalize the school’s campus and numerous existing buildings, many of which have been in service since the 1950’s.
The complexity of the challenge at the Lamplighter School demanded robust and ongoing engagement of the stakeholders at every level, from the students and their families to the teachers, administration, and staff. Ultimately, a range of possibilities were presented, empowering the stakeholders to be invested in the design and decision-making process.
The Student Services building specifically arose from the need to relocate and consolidate a scattering of administrative offices that once occupied various corners of the existing buildings from the 1950's. This new administrative hub consolidates administrative offices in narrow bar parallel to but offset from the existing school to create two small courtyards. Facing southeast towards the main public entry to campus, the building is attuned to the Texas climate and reduces solar heat gain. Offices are organized along the south façade to face the public entry and to provide views to the campus landscape.
Like the Innovation Lab and the Drama addition constructed recently in Phase 1, the main exterior material used in the Student Services building is copper whose initial acquisition cost and environmental impact are offset by its lifespan of more than a hundred years, virtually maintenance free, and ready recycling. Complementing the rich tones of the copper is an entry porch lined second growth cypress, sourced locally in Texas.
Inside the entry, an elegant and generous new lobby connects the building to the existing school through a gallery that celebrates the school’s history. The gallery features display cabinets suspended above the floor with windows above and below the cabinets that provide generous natural light. These exhibits showcase elements from the Lamplighter School archives so visitors can discover the school's traditions and the spirit of its students and alumni.
