School Construction Notre Dame Catholic Church And School
By: Jennifer Walker-Journey

For nearly a century, Notre Dame Catholic School in Kerrville, Texas, had thrived. It weathered the Great Depression and two World Wars by focusing on the enrichment of students' lives as well as the community around them. The school offered courses in music, art, and language, but also expanded to offer commercial night classes. While young men were leaving town to serve in the military, the school encouraged women to enroll in night classes as a "patriotic contribution to help our country by filling those places with properly trained substitutes."

The original Notre Dame Institute, which would later become known as Notre Dame Catholic School, was built in 1912, but it had been torn down to make room for a large construction project consisting of a new building with five classrooms, a school office,  and an assembly hall. The following year, three new classrooms and a rectory were added, and the year after that, the school purchased nearby property and added a playground.

As the pre-kindergarten through 8th grade school entered the 21st century, it saw the need to expand again, this time for the addition of a gymnasium. School leadership sought the ideas of several architects, but one firm's presentation went beyond discussing the addition of a new gymnasium and focused on the need for master planning to address issues that affected the campus.

"We stressed thinking about the functioning of the entire site, not just inserting a new building wherever it could go," said James (Jim) C. Heck, AIA, principal in charge with Fisher Heck Architects, which is based in San Antonio.

Once awarded the project, Heck began working with the church and school to develop a master plan that looked at the immediate need, as well as the needs of the campus five years and even 10 years into the future.

"What we saw as the major issue affecting the site was the existing parking and vehicular circulation that split the site in two," Heck said. "The church and school offices were physically separated from the church and parish hall, although pedestrian circulation between them happened throughout the day. This was especially problematic for the school children."

The master plan called for the removal of a significant portion of the parking in the middle of the site to make way for a new "Commons," a courtyard area that linked all buildings in a pedestrian-friendly way.

The plans also included a new gymnasium, which was designed to be 14,000 square feet with locker rooms, storage, and classroom space for physical education/weight training classes. It was set on the east end of the Commons, with a new covered walkway that would connect the church to the parish hall, gymnasium, school, and parish offices. A new bell tower was set adjacent to the church, providing a focal point at the western entrance of the site.

Early on in the project, a school bus garage and storage facility was constructed in the far northeast corner of the site to allow for the relocation of these functions, thus making room for the construction of the gymnasium. Once the gymnasium/Commons project was completed, the church would enter the final phase, constructing a new rectory near the storage building.

"When we design a site and buildings, we always look at how the placement of structures also forms usable outdoor space," Heck said. "Our vision with the placement of the gymnasium and creation for the Commons was that the school would hold classes outdoors when weather was conducive, and the church would have a protected outdoor space for festivals and other gatherings."

The exterior of the gymnasium and the new walkway that adjoined them was designed to complement the existing, adjacent parish hall and church with stucco and limestone. The facility also was designed to be as energy-efficient and low-maintenance as possible.

"We initially did not air condition the gymnasium portion of the building," Heck said. "We incorporated a system of high exhaust fans and low motorized intake louvers to keep summertime temperatures within the space at an acceptable level. The space also incorporated a series of large ceiling fans to provide air movement over the court area to cool the athletes."

Lighting was zoned and switched to provide three stepped levels of light, allowing for adjustment to suit each different use. Large windows with diffused glass allowed for natural daylight, minimizing the use of artificial light during the day. The interior was primarily made of concrete masonry for a durable, low-maintenance finish.

"It actually went quite smoothly, thanks to a very good and conscientious general contractor, Kunz Construction of San Antonio," Heck said.

The completed project served its purpose well, providing simplified site circulation, redirected vehicular traffic, and increased accessible parking. The school has benefited greatly not only by the addition of the gymnasium and the more organized flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as it also gained outdoor space for open-air learning.

Fisher Heck Architects offers feasibility studies, site master planning, existing facilities evaluation, historic research and programming, www.fisherheck.com.