Southside High School

Youngsville, LA

Lafayette Parish was in need of a new high school to support the rapidly growing needs of the community and relieve pressure from the over-stretched resources of the Parish. The educational curriculum provided by Southside High School offers an elevated emphasis on agricultural and energy industries, with a focus on 21st Century issues and technologies. In support of this industrial focused curriculum, the school features several Career and Technical shops and a maker space. Additionally, the school features an extensive Arts department for both music and performing arts. A 300 seat Black Box theater serves as a performance space for the school and surrounding community. There are 72 teaching environments serving grades 9-12 with collaboration areas distributed throughout all three floors for extended learning opportunities. The school also features large and small Gymnasiums with a full locker room support for athletics.

At the interior atrium space, which are two and three stories high, contains a central dining area, as well as an open concept library that can be used after hours for the community as part of the Nexus, or community collaboration, concept. Southside had a stringent design and construction timeline of twenty-four months, which was made possible with a highly-skilled Team. The design process was performed in association with Pfluger Architects, which is based in Texas. Additionally, Southside High School is accredited and recognized as a LEED certified building.

Education

The Challenge

The primary goal of this ambitious project was to align the new school with the principles of 21st-century learning while simultaneously creating a very safe environment. This involved creating spaces that facilitated student and teacher collaboration and ensured safety through strategic design. The new school was to set the standard for modern educational architecture, blending form with function in ways that older buildings simply couldn’t.

The AQ Solution

Design for Collaboration and Safety

The key to achieving this vision was the spaces that were designed for collaboration. Classrooms and common areas were envisioned as open, flexible spaces where students and teachers could easily work together. Visual transparency was a crucial element of the design. Glass walls and open sightlines allowed for easy monitoring of large areas by fewer staff members, enhancing both security and a sense of openness.

Rapid Construction and Innovative Methods

Speed was of the essence. The community needed the new school to be ready as soon as possible. To meet this demand, the project team opted for tilt-wall construction, a method known for its speed in construction and durability. Complementing this approach was the use of Construction Management at Risk (CMAR). This methodology facilitated a streamlined construction process, ensuring the project stayed on track and within budget.

Collaborative Process

One of the standout aspects of the project was the CMAR process, which allowed for rapid iterations during the design phase. This flexibility was crucial in aligning the design with construction methods and budget constraints. The collaborative nature of CMAR meant that potential issues could be quickly addressed, and solutions could be implemented without significant delays.

Conclusion

The result was a state-of-the-art high school that not only met the immediate needs of the Lafayette Parish community but also set a new standard for future educational buildings in the area. The project successfully bridged the gap between past and present by embracing modern construction techniques and fostering a collaborative design process, providing a safe, innovative environment for 21st-century learning.

The AQ Solution