Studio8 Architects designed the Rio Grande Campus renovation for Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.

Austin Community College’s Rio Grande Campus, a beloved historic landmark, endured decades of deferred maintenance and incremental renovations. Dark, disconnected spaces, inaccessibility, and outdated systems prevented ACC Rio Grande from providing quality, affordable community education. Through a human-centered approach to sustainability and design, the 19th-century campus was reimagined for 21st-century learning. Transforming two interior light wells into atria became critical to the building’s reorganization and circulation. Capped with a translucent ETFE roof system, sunlight fills the now-conditioned atria spaces. The central engine of the campus is a 169-seat Accelerator Lab and library, surrounded by six high-tech science labs, classrooms for Gallaudet University’s deaf and hard-of-hearing students, a cafeteria, and study areas for an activated, mixed-use campus. Restored arched windows offer panoramic views of Austin. The 108-year-old building has transformed into an accessible, LEED Platinum campus that inspires, educates, enriches, and prepares students of diverse backgrounds and abilities for the future.

Design: Studio8 Architects
Design Architect: Overland Partners
Historic Architects: Hutson Gallagher, Architexas
Contractor: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Photography: Dror Baldinger