+ Project Details

About
Highland Campus Arts, Digital Media & Communications
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX

Austin Community College District’s (ACC) Arts, Digital Media & Communications (ADMC) programs immerse students in hands-on training across a broad spectrum of creative careers. With disciplines ranging from Art, Dance, and Drama to Game Development, Animation and Motion Graphics, Music, Radio-Television-Film, Photography and Visual Media, and Visual Communication, the program’s diversity called for highly specialized, purpose-built spaces—all housed within Building 2000 at ACC’s reimagined Highland Campus.

Our team met the technical and spatial challenges of transforming the former Highland Mall into a vibrant, modern learning environment tailored to these creative disciplines. State-of-the-art facilities—including photography labs, game design and motion graphics studios, TV production suites, music practice rooms, and professional-grade recording studios—were seamlessly integrated into the existing structure. Public-facing venues such as the art gallery, dance studio, black box theater, and proscenium theater were strategically placed along the Paseo, revitalizing the mall’s central spine into a pedestrian-friendly corridor that invites community engagement and provides students with real-world performance and exhibition opportunities.

Spaces were designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, preparing students for real-world environments where ideas and creative works come to life. By aligning academic training with Austin’s thriving creative economy—from film and music production to digital media and visual arts — the ADMC spaces empower students with the tools, experience, and environment to succeed in the city’s creative sectors.

Collaborators
The Sextant Group (Acoustic & Theater Consultant, Now NV5
Perkins & Will

Recognition
American Institute of Architects Dallas, 2024 Award of Merit
American Institute of Architects Austin, 2023 Design Award of Excellence
Austin Business Journal Commercial Real Estate Award, 2023 Community Impact Award
Urban Land Institute, Austin Chapter, 2022 Impact Award for Best Project Innovation