For Architect Chad Johnson, designing the Rosedale School hit a little closer to home than most projects.

That's because his son Blake Johnson is a student at Rosedale and is part of the classroom for students with visual impairments within the medically fragile group. Johnson, an architect with Page, an architecture and design firm, helped design the modernized campus.

"As an architect, you connect with every school that you do," he said. "But there is no doubt that with this school, we knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve families with special needs students."

Opened in 1988, Rosedale has served students from ages 3-22 with severe special needs, including medically fragile children or who need intensive behavior support.

Now, the fully-modernized campus features help students increase their independence, improve their self-esteem, and experience a greater quality of life.

Before the modernization, the school had become outdated, and a significant revamp was due.

Johnson and his team traveled across the country to other schools that served students with special needs to get inspiration and ideas for the new campus.

"It was enlightening for us to learn what we could wish for and dream for," he said. "The needs for these students are very different from a high school or middle school, and we wanted to get it right."

As the vision came together, Johnson used his experience as a parent to help bridge the gap between the parent's needs and the design team's expertise.

"Having that background as a parent with a child who has special needs helped us get it right," he said.

With the design in place, construction began on July 12, 2020.

The campus design reflects the city of Austin and evokes a connection to the outdoors that creates a 'School Within a Park.'

An array of sensory details throughout the building helps to inspire discovery and movement for students throughout the building and outdoor spaces.

The building is organized with learning neighborhoods for medically fragile, behavioral, transition to life in the community, and shared community spaces from a central commons to living room area.

The materials of each neighborhood have nature design concepts, which include colors and patterns of vegetation, sensation and movement of water, and shapes and textures of wildlife.

The campus also includes space for a pediatric clinic dedicated to caring for children with complex medical issues.

Principal Elizabeth Dickey says her students are thrilled with their new campus.

"The new campus has exceeded our expectations in so many ways," she said. "Students are loving exploring the campus, and they are really enjoying the outdoor spaces. I am looking forward to many firsts, but especially our first prom and graduation at the new campus."

Johnson's greatest aspirations for this project are that he hopes the new campus will bring happiness to students.

"It won't cure the needs or the distinctions that these students have, but it will make their daily life at the school healthier and more joyous," he said. "I hope that it raises the bar for what expectations can be for facilities that serve students with special needs all around our community in Central Texas and across the country."