The Hockaday School – Liza Lee Academic Research Center Renovation

This award-winning 54,000 square foot Academic Research Center for the prestigious Hockaday School was originally done by GFF with Overland Partners of San Antonio in 2001. Since then, the transition from print to digital media allowed the consolidation of library stacks, leaving valuable areas of the building underutilized.

This project inserted a new 2,500 square foot mezzanine extension along the northern edge of the existing double-height library space. This “loft” space now houses the school’s journalism department, and a new classroom suite below the mezzanine accommodates the debate department. Space vacated by these relocations was renovated into a new digital photography/audio lab, broadcast suite, and film studies classrooms.

The new mezzanine addition integrates seamlessly with the existing building. Clad in glass, the addition is a transparent and complementary element within the existing double-height library space. The renovation effectively repurposes underutilized areas, adapting to modern educational needs and providing state-of-the-art facilities for journalism, debate, and digital media studies.