In 2020, Barbers Hill ISD hired cre8 Architects to design two new intermediate schools. One of the bigger challenges set by the district was for both schools to be laid out the same but also to appear different from each other. The solution to the “same but different” design challenge was to develop a theme for each school based on the district’s mascot - the eagle.

Barbers Hill Intermediate School North is one of these schools. It is a two-story, 1500 student school serving grades 4-6 that includes life skills classrooms and a motor skills lab. We worked closely with administrators, teachers, and curriculum to determine the school program and to create a school-wide theme that is reflected in the building and curriculum.

We based the theme on the Eagle’s nest because it is durable, structural, and at the center of the Eagle’s world. Through determination, and what seems like a bit of randomness, a nest comes together as an intricate truss system. We see the Eagle's nest as the central node that ties the campus together. The Eagle, the nest and the intertwined random structure of its nest is present throughout Barbers Hill Intermediate North.

Angled finish patterns in the dining area, corridors, collaboration areas and central courtyard create a sense of movement and visual interest. The concept of the nest is also physically represented in two ways in the school. In the grade level collaboration areas, there are partially enclosed group areas with branch like patterns on the acrylic panels. In the library KIVA, there is a 12-foot-diameter illuminated nest made of different colored acrylic strips that is suspended above the seating area.

Along the walls of Main Street, large metal letters urge students to explore, exercise, create, encourage, and perform. These letters are a constant reminder to students to be active and engaged in their learning. The raw plywood arranged in abstract patterns along Main Street and dining and exposed ductwork and building systems add an industrial bent to the building.

We took a thorough look at the beloved Eagle mascot and its nest to develop the theme for the new Barbers Hill Intermediate School North. The central Eagle’s nest is a key node that ties the campus together, and it is a powerful symbol of the industrious spirit that the Eagles at this school will inevitably follow suit with.