The College Makeover: Serious Business for Llewelyn-Davies Sahni

Houston Community College capital improvement initiatives

HOUSTON, May 16, 2008 – Llewelyn-Davies Sahni (LDS), a Houston-based architecture and urban design firm, has been contracted by Houston Community College (HCC) on capital improvement projects sure to reposition the colleges as focal points of several Houston communities.

The initiative spans nine different campuses and has resulted, to date, in $40 million in property acquisition and more than $300 million in actual campus improvements. Upon completion, nine HCC campuses will have a 20,000-square-foot library, open to the public, with free Internet access among its many amenities. 

Some of the campuses will have retail amenities; all will have attractive open space.  They also have the potential to have a marked affect on the accessibility, land use, urban activity and commerce of the various Houston neighborhoods.

LDS’ current work on the HCC Central campus, which runs parallel to the revitalization of Houston’s Midtown, is a key example of the potential for a local community college to become a social and commercial center for the City. The work on Central campus includes construction of the new HUB building (a central learning center), which will house student services and the main library; the future renovation of the historic San Jacinto High School building, around which the campus was originally built; and creation of the Star Plaza, the campus’ largest green space, which will double as a park for Midtown residents.

“It draws parallels with the impact that Brown University has on the commerce of Providence or MIT/Harvard on Cambridge,” said Randhir Sahni, president, Llewelyn-Davies Sahni.  “Not just because of added custom from students, but because these campuses become more than mere learning centers: They are nuclei for healthy, growing urban activity.”

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About Llewelyn-Davies Sahni (LDS)

Llewelyn-Davies Sahni, a firm based in Houston, TX, is dedicated to being the world's leading architects, planners and designers delivering innovative buildings, master plans and strategies. LDS provides a range of international design consultancy services including architecture, planning, urban design, interior design, and healthcare facility planning. With the belief that good design and planning creates significant value, LDS has met the needs and expectations of a range of clients from major corporations, developers, and healthcare institutions to education and research organizations, public/private partnerships and local, state and federal government entities. LDS is driven by a desire to provide inspiring, innovative and sustainable solutions to complex challenges.