SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR HIGH SCHOOL


Northside Independent School District
San Antonio, Texas

Architect: Marmon Mok, L.L.P.
Contractor:Lyda, Inc.
Project Cost:$28,004,800 (Bid November 22, 1996)
Completion Date:July 1998


The 72-acre site for the new 334,000-square-foot Sandra Day O'Connor High School is located east of the City of Helotes at the intersection of Leslie Road and Bandera Highway. The region is characterized by pasture land and rolling terrain.

Due to the close proximity of the school to the City of Helotes, a "Village Concept" was selected over a single, large structure for the development of the campus. Situated in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, the complex maintains a low building scale and retain the German architectural character of early Texas construction.

The fourteen buildings, serving 2400 students, are oriented around a landscaped plaza and the campus library. A clock tower rises from the library and serves as a focus and landmark to the school. Limestone colored split faced masonry units clad the buildings and are accented by natural galvanized metal panels at the gable ends and above the windows. Metal shed roofs with generous overhangs cap each of the single and two-story structures. All buildings are interconnected by a metal canopy which incorporates the majority of the school's utilities.


O'Connor High School features an agricultural center consisting of technology labs, shops, classrooms and greenhouse. An animal center will be developed in association with the facility to provide animal pens and, eventually, a new show barn. Also unique to the campus is a competitive gymnasium seating 1800 spectators. The gymnasium will relieve the scheduling of the district's existing facility located off Culebra Road.

The performing arts center provides a 980-seat auditorium and areas for the band, choral, drama, journalism and art departments. Rounding out the campus are two general classroom buildings and buildings for vocational education and science.

The campus buildings are positioned at the highest elevation on the site, while the athletic and playing fields are located on the level portion of land between the campus buildings and the perimeter roadways. The entrance to the campus is off Leslie Road to minimize traffic congestion on Bandera Highway. Existing live oak and red oak trees will be retained throughout the project, providing a mature character to the campus landscape.