BTA was engaged by the Tarrant County College District to design a new urban campus, the Trinity River East Campus, in downtown Fort Worth. Building on BTA’s earlier master plan for the City of Fort Worth’s largely neglected urban waterfront, the first phase of the campus links downtown Fort Worth to the Trinity River. Flanked on either side by campus buildings and shady courtyards, a pedestrian street cascades down the river bluff to the water. Using extensive landscape and water features, the outdoor areas create comfortable microclimates for outdoor activities both for the College and community at large. The massing of the buildings and the extensive use of louvers at key locations on the exterior glazing and outdoor terraces reduces glare and solar heat gain, while preserving daylighting and views for the occupants.

In addition to the College’s academic and specialized health care programs, the campus hosts a number community related activities encouraging engagement and partnerships with downtown Fort Worth. The campus acts not only as a link between the downtown and the waterfront, it also provides a window onto nature. One enters the campus from a frenetic, highly urban environment accompanied with heavy automobile traffic. As you proceed through the cloistered spaces within the campus, you gradually lose memory of the city until you are immersed in nature by the river’s edge. The campus master plan calls for future phases, including a pedestrian bridge extending the campus south across the river.