In the early 1990s, UISD needed to construct multiple middle schools to accommodate a growing student population. This led to the design of a middle school prototype. The cruciform footprint evolved as a way to be able to locate the plan on any site without having to modify the floor plan. The only variable was the adaptation to the different site conditions that dictated the locations of parking lots, drop-off locations, and site circulation. Since the plan & structure was repeated, it helped in reducing the cost per square foot by achieving an economy of scale for the major building systems, such as concrete, masonry, pre-engineered steel frames, and mechanical systems. Variations of finishes such as masonry colors, VCT colors, interior color schemes gave each school its own identity.