Pair of Austin-Area Elementaries Moving Ahead
By Eric Althoff
AUSTIN—Pfluger Architects, working in partnership with Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Company, recently broke ground on Trinity Ranch Elementary, which will host 850 students when it opens in the fall of 2025. It is the second Pfluger-designed school now under construction for the Elgin Independent School District, with Harvest Ridge Elementary due to be completed this coming fall.
Each of the two schools will encompass approximately 85,000 square feet of educational space. As imagined by Pfluger, both schools will feature interior courtyards that can also function as outdoor educational spaces. Taking a page from Elgin’s history as a city that was created by the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, Pfluger’s design for the schools’ interior features ceiling, flooring and lighting elements that offer a railroad motif. Furthemore, as Elgin is known as “The Brick Capital of the Southwest,” Pfluger also joined with Acme Elgin Plant to source brick materials for the two schools.
“Trinity Ranch Elementary will provide students a safe and nurturing environment to learn and grow, fostering a sense of community and collaboration,” Dr. Jana Rueter, Elgin ISD superintendent of schools, said of the second school now under construction. “Every student deserves access to engaging and innovative learning experiences so they will have choice and opportunity for their future. We are excited to celebrate this investment in our community and our children, and to see this new facility come to life.”
“These schools are built around the guiding principles of care, community, collaboration and connection to the outdoors,” said Jessica Molter, managing principal at Pfluger Architects’ Austin office. “By optimizing the use of space and encouraging a closer connection between students and the natural world, the design creates more meaningful educational experiences for tomorrow’s leaders.”
In a subsequent statement emailed to School Construction News, Molter said that she and her design team wanted to ensure all core classrooms spaces were consistent and allowed in abundant natural light from the outside.
“The colors and materials used throughout the building are as inviting and engaging as they are durable and practical,” Molter said. “At the main entrances, the wood-look soffit panel continues inside, welcoming visitors with its warm tones.
“Inside, the school’s purple color dominates the color palette to infuse the entire space with school pride. A neutral background of durable tile wainscotting and sustainable Linoleum flooring is accented with pops of purple in accent wall paint, acoustic panels and plumbing wall tile. In the cafeteria, an acoustic cloud ceiling is suspended below the purple painted structure above.”
In addition to its main location in Austin, Pfluger also has Texas offices in San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston and Dallas.
Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Company is based in Houston.