E.L. Furr High School Replacement

The ERO-designed replacement of Furr High School in Houston withstood the fury of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The project was nearing completion when the category four storm struck the Texas Gulf Coast. The newly transformed school came out unscathed from that stormy summer, which caused widespread flooding and destruction in the Houston area.

"I think that speaks to the design of the building, but more importantly, it speaks to the thoughtfulness of the building design," said then-Superintendent Richard Carranza. The Furr High School project was a product of a $1.64 billion bond program approved by local residents to transform how students learn in Houston schools. For Furr High, that meant reimagining the early 1960s-era school that sits on a 19-acre site. ERO delivered a concept whose design challenged the norms of what a high school can be in a densely populated urban community. A three-story, 183,000 square-gross-foot college-style campus has replaced outdated buildings and temporary classrooms. In its place is a high-tech campus where teachers customize space to meet the demands of learning. Almost every space at the new Furr High School has multipurpose flexibility as students choose what and how to study through experimentation and collaboration.

ERO’s design removed the barriers to learning as Furr students engage in engineering and computer science programs along with doing laboratory research work. The newly transformed campus connects to its Prairie Oaks community through its health care and community activity center. ERO’s Furr High School design earned the firm a Merit Award for innovation from the Lower Rio Grande Valley AIA.

"This project accomplishes a lot for a K-12 project," said a jurist in awarding the award to ERO. "The dynamic atrium space, the glazing wall, and the sophisticated performance space elevate the project beyond a typical K-12 project."