Andress High School is a large public high school, one of 10 in El Paso ISD, that serves approximately 2,000 students in northeast El Paso, Texas. Originally opened in 1961, the campus needed a major renovation to modernize the facilities, add learning resources and amenities, and bring the aging infrastructure up to date. The $20.9 million project was funded by a $668.8 million bond passed in 2016.

M2L Associates partnered with ERO Architects to provide landscape architecture and design for the campus renovation, which included landscaping for the campus as well as a redesigned central courtyard that would serve students with multiple gathering areas for dining, studying, socializing and other activities. The landscaping was designed to meet El Paso high desert planting specifications that incorporate low-maintenance, native vegetation and natural-stone landscape surfaces. Additionally, the city of El Paso required stormwater detention for the improvements, so the team designed underground detention tanks beneath the courtyard’s green space to fulfill that requirement.