GK Engineers provided full MEP design for Raindrop Academy, a new 37,165 SF two-story private K-12 school in southwest Houston built for up to 802 occupants. The program covers classroom wings, science and engineering labs, a library and computer lab, offices, multipurpose rooms, locker rooms and a 6,451 SF gymnasium.

Fourteen single-zone packaged rooftop units, about 124 tons in total, let each classroom block, lab and the gym run on its own schedule. Science labs have a dedicated 2,200 CFM exhaust fan with eyewash and shower stations, and power is a 1,200A, 480/277V service stepping down to 208/120V panels.

Simple packaged equipment, LED lighting on time clock and photocell control, and electric water heaters on a recirculation loop kept a mixed educational and assembly program within a private-school budget. Bid documents issued in March 2022 and construction was completed in the first quarter of 2023. The campus is now home to Horizon Leadership Academy.