After six years away from their neighborhood campus, the students and staff of Columbia Elementary finally returned home. HB joined LCPS, PSFA, and community members at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by all students and filled with much fanfare.

Remade for Resilience

The new school replaces the former building, which was demolished in 2018 after mold contamination caused by severe site drainage issues. The project included a significant off-site drainage package that required HB to divert traffic on Elks Drive with professional traffic control. A new retention pond and box culvert increase the site’s capacity to manage stormwater and route flows around the campus.

The school features a split-level design. The upper floor, at the higher elevation, houses kindergarten, pre-K, and administration. The southwest side sits at a lower grade and spans multiple stories, including classroom wings, a gymnasium and auditorium, kitchen, cafeteria, music, art, and lab spaces. This multi-pad layout is supported by a concrete structural wall that runs the length of the building. Nicknamed by the crew the “Great Wall of Las Cruces,” the 17-foot cast-in-place wall required careful coordination of earthwork and structural concrete by HB and its partners.

Built for Learning and Legacy

Designed for 752 students, the two-story campus features grade-level pods centered around shared collaboration spaces, flexible classrooms, and bright, welcoming interiors. The design celebrates the school’s namesake, the space shuttle Columbia, with star and planet motifs and astronaut-themed signage. Colorful drop ceilings, custom lighting, school branding, and a glass central elevator that evokes a shuttle launch are among the details designed by Vigil & Associates and delivered by HB.

Delivering Under Pressure

HB achieved a Certificate of Occupancy on an accelerated 16‑month schedule. The team navigated the split-level site and large footprint through detailed sequencing, daily coordination, and additional staffing to meet the district’s goal of reopening for the new school year. Extensive reinforced masonry shear walls presented production challenges that the team overcame.

More than a Building

The reopening of Columbia Elementary marks more than the completion of construction. It represents a return home for students, teachers, and families to a campus built with care, precision, and purpose. It is a new home for a community that waited patiently to see it rebuilt stronger than before.