Campus Master Plan

Acknowledgements

With gratitude for their continued involvement and dedication to FWCD, we are pleased to acknowledge the following individuals for their time and talents in bring the Campus Master Plan to completion:

• Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88, 2017-20 President, Board of Trustees
• Eric V. Lombardi, FWCD Head of School
• Members of the Board of Trustees Committees: Buildings and Grounds, Advancement and Finance
• Focus groups and stakeholders who helped identify top priorities for the School to meet the goals of the Strategic Plan.
• Exploratory Campaign Committee

For further information, please contact Sandra Tuomey, Director of Advancement, [email protected].

Message from Laura Bonnell Alexander '88

Fort Worth Country Day’s campus master plan has been a labor of love that began immediately after the Board of Trustees approved the School’s strategic plan in 2018. The goal: to ensure that this exceptional school has the needed facilities for academics, arts and athletics to support and further the goals of our aspirational Strategic Plan.

Board members and FWCD leadership were united in their desire to ensure that the architectural firm that would help us expand upon the School’s footprint would honor the attributes of our historic campus and its remarkable acreage.

After interviewing firms, FWCD selected renowned architectural firm Lake Flato to develop the campus master plan. Headquartered in San Antonio, this award-winning firm is known for its well-established sensibilities in creating spaces that celebrate the outdoors from inside buildings and bringing natural light to interiors to enhance a child’s learning experience with spaces for creative and active learning. We see this as a perfect fit for our needs and look forward to seeing the campus master plan come to life.

Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88
2017-20 President, Board of Trustees
[email protected]

Proposal Guidelines

• Preserve and renovate versus new construction
• Develop a campus vision for the future that supports the FWCD mission
• Identify future program goals
• Reinforce successful existing campus relationships and establish new ones
• Implement consistent architectural and landscape character
• Improve connection of indoor and outdoor spaces
• Reinforce campus spine/circulation system
• Improve programmatic operations and synergies

Planning & Evaluating: Developing The Campus Master Plan

FWCD Community Charrettes

Utilizing a comprehensive and inclusive approach, Lake|Flato hosted a series of community charrettes with FWCD faculty and administration who were asked to share their thoughts and observations about current facilities in terms of current and future needs.

Examples of Campus Structures and Land Attributes Assessed by Lake Flato

In addition, Lake|Flato architects investigated and thoroughly examined the campus, looking at land use, including campus entrances and buildings and spaces for academics, arts and athletics. The results outlined potential capital improvements that would enhance the educational opportunities for students and provide occasions for collaboration across disciplines and departments.

Refining the campus into “districts,” the plan focused on supporting FWCD’s strategic goals with improved connectivity, innovative learning spaces and a campus that evolves for student needs, becomes more user-friendly and promotes environmental and fiscal sustainability in its operations.

Using comprehensive information that incorporated the Board-directed Strategic Plan, including onsite assessments of student learning needs in each division and input from various School constituents and the Board of Trustees, Lake|Flato developed their initial plan. Their own extensive experience in independent school environments and a progressive structure based on practical and fiscally sensible implementation were essential in developing the plans, as well.

Implementing & Utilizing: The Campus Master Plan and Next Steps

In their presentation to the Board of Trustees, Lake|Flato shared the results of their exhaustive and inclusive study of the campus and buildings. At its September 2018 meeting, the FWCD Board of Trustees voted and approved the Campus Master Plan as presented. This marked the formal intention and commitment of School leadership and the Board of Trustees to address the priority needs of both Strategic and Master Plans in an orderly and timely manner over the coming 10+ years.

Recognizing the need to balance the highest-priority campus improvements with the ability to raise funds, a series of presentations were made to FWCD’s closest friends and donors, to ask their opinions about which priorities would be most critical to achieve in the near term. Using their feedback and the assessment of giving capacity, the following priorities are under consideration: Upper School Renovation and New Annex, Lower School Endowment New Construction and FWCD Fund.

FWCD's long-term Campus Master Plan, which will be rolled out in multiple phases, proposes some significant renovations, some entirely new spaces, and outlines the campus as "districts," allowing us to use spaces and faculty resources efficiently, and to envision facility changes and updates that will best serve both our students and our community in our second 60 years.

Incorporating our strategic plan goals within the unique vision of the Lake Flato Campus Master Plan gives an inspiring road map for our next 10 to 20 years. The plan honors our unique architectural aesthetic, while working in concert with our stunning physical environment.

Site plan shared with Board of Trustees showing current and potential renovations and additions