Video: An inside look at the design process for Lamar HS

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In a new video, members of Lamar High School’s Project Advisory Team (PAT) discuss the planning and design process of the new Lamar High School, which will combine 21st century educational strategies with 21st century architecture.

The new facility will be four or five stories tall and will feature a parking garage where the rooftop could be used for tennis courts and will have separate entries and exits for staff, students, and visitors.

The school’s current building is 75 years old and is considered a historical structure that will be renovated and preserved to house administrative offices.

“It’s an iconic building. We think it’s done a great job of educating kids over the years,” said Dr. James McSwain, Lamar principal. “What we want is 75 years into the future for people to look back at us, when we’re all dead and gone, and to think the same about the decisions that we’ve made.”

By consolidating the school’s structures and building up, the PAT plans to reclaim areas currently used for parking and other outlying buildings to incorporate more green space into the design.

The planning and design phase will continue through mid-2015. The new structure will be built along Eastside Drive, adjacent to the existing building. Construction is scheduled to begin in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2015 and is expected to take 18 to 24 months.