The High Island Shelter project is a thoughtful blend of the school gymnasium and emergency shelter. The facility serves both the High Island community as a hurricane shelter and on a daily basis, the students of the High Island Independent School District. The project was conceived in response to Hurricane Ike and is administered by the General Land Office (GLO) through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

LAN designed a facility for Galveston County, TX as part of funds provided for redevelopment due to Hurricane Ike. The facility will provide temporary shelter for local residents and a base location for first responders during tropical storm-related events. The new facility is programmed to be utilized by the High Island Independent School District as an auxiliary gymnasium facility.

As a shelter, the building will be required to have a diesel generator and store enough diesel fuel to run for an extended period of time, and comply with the wind loads (190 mph) required. As a school facility, the building was also designed to match the aesthetic of the adjacent school facilities and function seamlessly as a school facility.