An Austin-based design firm was selected Nov. 5 to lead efforts by Austin Community College to turn Highland Mall into a new campus.

O'Connell Robertson was picked 6-0-1 by the ACC board of trustees among four firms to create a Highland Learning Center Master Plan, which will dictate how best to convert the former mall into new college-tailored facilities. ACC also owns land surrounding the structure that will be converted into mixed-use development.

"The Highland Mall project is probably—definitely—in my 20 years here and probably the entire history of the college the largest thing we've ever attempted to do—large both in size and eventually in dollars," trustee Alan Kaplan said before motioning to hire O'Connell Robertson. "Highland Learning Center is without a doubt the largest and most complex project in education in this country today. It is quite enormous."

All four firms gave final pitches during the Oct. 21 ACC board meeting before any final decision was made. During the O'Connell Robertson presentation, much emphasis was placed on creating a student-friendly environment.

"It's really about the inbetween places that make a campus," said Lorenzo Mattii of Pfeiffer Partners, an affiliate group working with O'Connell Robertson. "We place as much value on them as a lab or a classroom."

Mattii said this would be the largest project he has worked on. During the presentation, the firm said a master plan could be ready for the board by next June.

O'Connell Robertson recently worked with ACC to design the new Elgin campus, and the firm also helped on the second phase of construction at the Cypress Creek campus in Cedar Park.

Trustee Guadalupe Sosa and Trustee Tim Mahoney originally proposed hiring Barnes, Gromatzky, Korasek Architects, the same firm in charge of designing ACC's Math Emporium at the former JCPenney's in Highland Mall. Their effort failed 2-5, prompting the vote for O'Connell Robertson. Sosa was the lone abstention on the final vote, while board Chairman Jeffrey Richard recused himself due to conflicts of interest and trustee Barbara Mink was absent.