Llano Christian Academy — ADA Campus Renovation Civil Engineering in Llano, TX
Llano · Llano County · Texas
Institutional, Educational & Athletic Facilities
Renovation and expansion of an operating private school campus
JRH Engineering provided complete civil engineering design for the renovation and expansion of a private school campus in Llano, Texas. The campus featured significant grade changes across multiple buildings that created ADA accessibility challenges — a compliance requirement that, handled incorrectly, would have required costly and disruptive regrading across an operating school campus. JRH resolved every accessibility challenge through a targeted solution of retaining walls and ADA-compliant switchback sidewalks, delivering full compliance without shutting down the campus.
AT A GLANCE
Site civil design
Full civil design for campus renovation and expansion including grading, sidewalk layout, and ADA accessibility upgrades
Retaining walls specified on grade-change areas between buildings — a targeted solution eliminating the need for campus-wide regrading
ADA-compliant switchback sidewalks designed to connect buildings within allowable slope tolerances across significant grade changes
Existing water and sanitary infrastructure utilized — no new utility design required
ADA compliance design
Every building-to-building connection on the campus designed to meet ADA slope requirements
Switchback sidewalk configuration allowed full ADA compliance across steep grade changes without modifying finished floor elevations or regrading building pads
Retaining walls used at critical transition points to manage elevation changes within ADA-compliant parameters
Stormwater and drainage
Drainage followed Llano natural course requirements — no new detention design required
Existing drainage patterns preserved through the targeted grading approach
No new drainage infrastructure required — an additional cost saving made possible by the targeted rather than wholesale grading approach
Permitting and agency coordination
City of Llano building permit coordinated with ADA compliance documentation
Targeted design approach simplified the permit submission by avoiding extensive earthwork plans
The Challenge — an operating school cannot close for a regrade
ADA compliance is not optional, and a campus with significant grade changes between buildings had real accessibility gaps that needed to be resolved as part of the expansion permit. The conventional approach — regrading the entire campus to create smooth, compliant transitions — would have been expensive, disruptive, and unnecessary
JRH’s Approach — precision engineering, not mass earthwork
Retaining walls at key transition points, combined with ADA-compliant switchback sidewalks connecting buildings, delivered full accessibility compliance without touching the building pads or requiring campus-wide regrading. The operating school was minimally disrupted, construction costs were significantly reduced, and the permit package was simpler because there was no major earthwork to document and review.
The Results
01
Full ADA compliance achieved across a multi-building campus with significant grade changes — without campus-wide regrading
02
School operations preserved — the targeted retaining wall and switchback solution minimized construction disruption
03
No new drainage or utility infrastructure required — existing systems utilized, reducing cost and permitting complexity
04
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the main engineering challenge on the Llano Christian Academy project?
Significant grade changes between buildings on an operating school campus created real ADA accessibility gaps, and a conventional fix would have required a disruptive, costly campus-wide regrade.
How did JRH Engineering achieve ADA compliance without regrading the campus?
JRH used retaining walls at key transition points combined with ADA-compliant switchback sidewalks connecting buildings, resolving accessibility within allowable slope tolerances without touching building pads or requiring major earthwork.
What were the results of the Llano Christian Academy project?
JRH achieved full ADA compliance across a multi-building campus with significant grade changes, preserved school operations with minimal disruption, and required no new drainage or utility infrastructure.