A tight-knit community of educators, students, parents, alumni and board members came together ten times last fall with Overland to look the future of their school straight in the eye. What would the next chapter look like? With a 70-year legacy of providing enriched, holistic PK-12 education, this small private school in urban San Antonio not only had to ponder the future, but seize it.

Our team at Overland learned that Keystone School is more than an educational experience—it is a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive community that maximizes student opportunities, strengthens creativity and individuality, and expands learning beyond classroom walls. Together, we took a deep dive into the engagement process to understand the range of different stakeholder experiences, from being a young student to an alumni, an educator to a parent, and internalized Keystone’s past and how it translates to a meaningful present and  transformational future.

Our approach to stakeholder engagement is through inspired inquiry to capture and understand different stakeholder priorities, identify positions, facilitate consensus, and develop guiding principles to accomplish the vision.

As Education designers, architects and planners, we know collaboration and authentic community engagement is key to creating the best result for clients. But first comes the exercise of gaining a thorough understanding of each client, their mission and vision, something that sets Overland apart from many architectural firms. We hear time and time again from our clients that we actively listen, with no pre-conceived conventions or notions. A deep exploration of stakeholders’ desires is something we strive to do on every project and facilitates Unlocking The Embedded Potential, our brand promise.

“Curriculum and design have to work together, or things fall apart” writes Alexandra Lange in a recent Architecture Magazine article. Thus is case with Keystone and Overland. Building upon a legacy of academic and creative excellence, Keystone partnered with Overland to craft a strategic vision for the historic school’s future that nurtures students, delivers world-class, innovative learning and strengthens the community of Keystone’s campus. The result is a cohesive path forward for the future that will inspire the next generation of life-long learners, leaders and global citizens.