Image Courtesy of HKS Inc.
School Designed to Uplift
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RESEARCH TEAM
Renae Mantooth, PhD; Upali Nanda, PhD; Lindsey Walker, PhD; Evie Guo, PhD; Jacob Williams; Leonardo Gonzalez Sangri
FUNDS
HKS Inc., ASID Foundation
Background
Designing schools for equitable outcomes requires attention to spatial, sensory, and social features that shape adolescent development. While poor environmental conditions are known to hinder learning, little research has examined how intentional design strategies influence secondary students’ well-being, social connection, and college readiness, particularly among minoritized populations. This study addresses that gap.
Above: Environmental Conditions of the old Uplift Luna Primary and Secondary Schools
Opportunity
The relocation of Uplift Luna offered a rare opportunity to design a unified Pre-K–12 campus for a predominantly low-income, first-generation college-bound population. Moving from fragmented, urban sites to a purpose-built campus allowed the school to embed well-being, social connection, and college readiness into daily experiences through intentional design.
Above: The location and consolidation from downtown Dallas to the new Uplift Luna campus
Methodology
We employed a pre–post occupancy evaluation using a quasi-experimental design. Surveys of secondary students measured environmental satisfaction, wellbeing, social behaviors, physical activity, and college-going self-efficacy before and after relocation. Complementary behavior mapping documented socialization and activity patterns in shared spaces, producing a comprehensive view of how design shaped student experiences.
Findings
Students reported higher satisfaction with classroom and non-classroom environments after relocation. Wellbeing measures such as life satisfaction and stress remained stable, countering expected declines during adolescence. Behavior mapping revealed increased play, fewer solitary behaviors, and more frequent talking, while correlations linked greater social interaction and movement to stronger well-being outcomes.
54 students tracked across time. 1 cohort; 2 buildings.
60% increase in play behaviors after relocation
47% increase in satisfaction with access to nature
16% of students’ life satisfaction was tied to quality of sound in classroom spaces
Takeaways
The new campus design provided enhanced, more engaging environments that stabilized well-being and fostered social connection. Improvements in environmental satisfaction and peer interaction suggest that design strategies emphasizing quality, movement, and communal space can reduce isolation and support equity. These results reinforce the role of school environments as active contributors to adolescent development.