Austin ISD- Secure Vestibules (North Zone)

Fuse partnered with Austin ISD to implement two phases of secure-vestibule upgrades across North Zone campuses as part of the District’s renewed commitment to school safety. Following national concerns and the tragic Uvalde incident, Austin ISD prioritized enhanced access control and safer entry sequences for students and staff. Fuse was honored to help develop consistent design standards and deliver improvements across a diverse collection of campuses, each requiring its own unique approach to integrating modern security needs into existing facilities.

Date

Aug 2025

Type

Education

Location

Austin, TX

Highlight

The U.S. education system has been faced with very troubling times, violent attacks and active shooter situations have become more commonplace. The Austin ISD passed a bond to ensure the security of campuses if such an occasion arises, especially after the mass shooting that occurred a few hours away in Uvalde, TX.

The importance of providing a secure vestibule at a school campus allows better access control to the staff, prevents unauthorized entry and can delay intruders and keep them confined to the entry point of the school. Fuse was selected as one of the trusted design teams to implement uniform standards for secure vestibules across the Austin ISD North Zone campuses.

The Austin ISD North Zone schools were divided into two construction difficulty levels, easy and complex. Phase 1 schools originally included seven elementary schools, while Phase 2 consisted of 12 campuses.

Design & Construction Facts

During design development of the phase 1 schools, it was realized that one of the campuses would need to be moved into the more complex renovations of phase 2 schools. Phase 1 was then completed with six elementary schools and Phase 2 now contains 13 campuses.

Each school was unique, although some similar in layout, the schools had very different construction approaches to accommodate implementation of the secure vestibules