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Hoffman LLC: River Crest Elementary School earns LEED® Gold
8/21/2009

Contact
Scott Pigeon, Director of Marketing
(920) 380-2175
spigeon@hoffman.net

Hoffman LLC Project First in Wisconsin to Receive Honor Using USGBC’s LEED for Schools Rating System

Appleton, Wis. — River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, was recently awarded the designation of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold. This esteemed designation was delivered from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), the nation’s foremost authority on green buildings.

The highly-sustainable and eco-friendly school was designed and built by Hoffman LLC, an Appleton, Wisconsin-based planning, architectural, and construction management firm.

River Crest Elementary became the first elementary school in Wisconsin, and just the second public elementary school in the nation, to receive Gold under the USGBC’s new LEED for Schools Rating System. In addition, it is the second of only two public school buildings in the state to receive LEED Gold designation—the first being Hoffman’s Northland Pines High School project in Eagle River, Wisconsin, in 2006.

From the project’s beginning, the Hudson School District, led by Superintendent of Schools Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten and the Hudson Board of Education, set their sights on creating a school that would be a model of sustainable design and practices for River Crest’s students and staff, the entire district, and the greater community. Pursuing LEED certification was at the core of that goal. “We are committed to environmental sustainability,” explained Bowen-Eggebraaten. “Designing and building with LEED certification in mind pushed us and I wouldn’t want to create another building without it.”

“We really wanted to create a green school, but we didn’t know much about LEED,” continued Bowen-Eggebraaten. “We interviewed a number of firms and were very impressed with Hoffman’s sustainable design expertise and LEED experience. As a result of the high quality Hoffman provided during design, we selected them as our construction manager as well.”

Hoffman has long been the industry leader in sustainable planning, design, and construction management while delivering clients environmentally-friendly buildings at or below conventional costs—and River Crest was no exception.

“River Crest’s LEED Gold certification validates and confirms that sustainable design and construction can be done at or below conventional costs,” stated Mark Hanson, Hoffman’s Director of Sustainable Services. “It’s the right thing to do, and there is no reason not to design and build green.”

Completed in August of 2008, River Crest was designed and built for $166/square foot, which includes design, site work, construction, furnishings, fixtures, and equipment. That total project cost is $57/square foot less than, or 29% below, the average cost for public elementary schools built in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in 2008 as reported by School Planning & Management in their “2009 Construction Report”.

According to Bowen-Eggebraaten, community residents’ enthusiasm for the design of their new elementary school was exceeded only by their delight in the cost to have it built. “The final ‘WOW’ for community members was when the cost per square foot was beneath the area cost per square foot of conventional construction, not even green construction,” said Bowen-Eggebraaten. “That was the extra ‘WOW’ that people in the community were just thrilled about. We wanted our community, our taxpayers, to know that they were getting a great value for their investment.”

Paul J. Hoffman, Hoffman LLC owner and CEO, couldn’t agree more. “From the beginning, the Hudson School District had a vision of creating a 21st century, hands-on learning environment for the district and community. With a passion to make a positive impact on the health and education of their students, they imagined a highly-sustainable elementary school that combined a smart, logical flow with a striking look and feel,” stated Hoffman. “In River Crest Elementary, the District has a school that not only showcases their commitment to sustainability as a LEED Gold building, but one that has impressed the community from both an aesthetic and financial standpoint.”

Opened to students for the first time on September 2, 2008, River Crest Elementary, at 93,450 square feet, has capacity for 588 kindergarten through fifth grade students with additional space for early childhood special education. River Crest is the Hudson School District’s sixth elementary school but its first to be designed and constructed using sustainable principles.

“The big draw for me was the whole environmental focus of the curriculum in the building and the connection with Camp St. Croix across the street,” said John Muller, River Crest fifth grade teacher, explaining why he decided to transfer to River Crest.

Ask other River Crest staff members what they’re enjoying about their new, sustainable school, and you’re sure to hear about the windows and natural daylight. “My favorite sustainable feature of River Crest is how spacious, airy, and bright it is,” said Kathleen Mullvain, another fifth grade teacher at River Crest. “You don’t feel like you’re in an institution because of all the natural light coming in—that absolutely is my favorite feature.”

“I love the amount of windows and that we don’t have curtains on them—that we’re able to look out into that beautiful environment,” agreed Pat Hodges, River Crest’s principal. “I truly enjoy the windows and the amount of daylight.”

Community partner, Andersen Windows, worked with Hoffman to design a window for River Crest that would maximize natural light, but reduce glare and provide energy savings with its wood construction. Wood reduces the transfer of heat and cold through the window frame. Additionally, to help meet LEED requirements, Andersen Windows used Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood.

The school consists of four sections per grade with two Early Childhood classrooms. Teachers favored a small learning community layout with a shared resource and storage room between classrooms—providing space for kits and other teaching aids as well as a room for tutoring, testing, and small group activities.

“My first thought when I saw River Crest is that it had a very smart design,” commented Mullvain. “I’m really passionate about keeping grade levels together, so that teachers and students can work together within their grade level teams. So, my first thought was, how wonderful that all of the fifth grade classrooms would be right together and that we can share resources and rooms.”

Hodges agreed that there is something special about the architecture of the school. “I was very impressed with the design of the school. I love the look, it’s sort of contemporary, sort of a soft look for a school. The comments I’ve heard from the public have been very positive. People really like the feel of the building, the flow of the building, the details that were looked into when we designed the building.”

A unique feature of the school, which is located directly across from YMCA — Camp St. Croix, is an underpass that was constructed under a county highway. This permits safe access between the school grounds and the camp property and links the trails at Camp St. Croix to the paved walking/bike trail that winds around the entire 43-acre school site.

“We have developed a wonderful partnership with Camp St. Croix,” said Bowen-Eggebraaten. “The District had the foresight to build a tunnel under the road for safe passage, not only for our students, but for the campers as well. Our students and staff can use the beautiful environmental campsite, and the campers can come over to the River Crest site and use our facilities.”

Sustainable highlights of the design and construction of River Crest Elementary include:

• Daylight harvesting and views — High ceilings, strategic placement of gray Low-E windows, and photosensors to control the direct/indirect lighting add daylight to classrooms and provide a connection to the outdoors—improving student performance and attendance, as well as teacher morale.

• Energy efficiency — Efficiently-designed mechanical and lighting systems, along with higher insulation standards, are estimated to provide energy savings in excess of 30 percent over a conventionally-designed building.

• Water efficiency — Water-reducing bathroom fixtures, including dual-flush valves and waterless urinals, should provide water savings in excess of 40 percent over a conventionally-designed building.

• Sustainable site design — Designed to retain storm water on site, the landscaping employs native species to eliminate irrigation and minimize maintenance. A portion of the site is protected from future development to preserve open space and wildlife habitat.

• High indoor air quality — Achieving high indoor air quality comes from a combination of low- or no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) products specified for furniture, adhesives, paints, flooring systems, and carpeting, and the monitoring of carbon dioxide levels.

• Local materials — More than half (by cost) of the materials used were manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site to reduce fuel consumption and pollution associated with transporting them, and to support the regional economy—highlighted by Hoffman’s collaboration with local window manufacturer, Andersen Windows, on a new product designed specifically for River Crest.

• Recycling of construction waste — An impressive 94 percent of construction waste materials (measured by weight) were reused or recycled, thus avoiding landfills.

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood — Over 50 percent of the wood used in the school comes from FSC sources.

According to the USGBC, the newly-created LEED for Schools Rating System “recognizes the unique nature of the design and construction of K-12 schools and is the recognized benchmark for green schools, with third-party reviews to ensure that schools are healthy for students, comfortable for teachers, and cost-effective.”

Since its completion, River Crest Elementary has been featured in the 2008 School Planning & Management’s Education Design Showcase—named as “Judges’ Choice”—and the 2009 edition of Learning By Design, where it was featured as one of the Outstanding Projects—demonstrating best practices in sustainable design and construction—in the Green Special Section. Most recently, it was the recipient of a Distinguished Award in the Second Annual SchoolDesigner.com Design Collabetition.

Bowen-Eggebraaten recognizes that River Crest’s success is due to the commitment of Board members who started the process and believed in building sustainably, and those members who worked to make sure the district was pushing itself for LEED Gold throughout construction. These sustainability leaders include Design Team Members: Dick Muenich, Tim Erickson, Pat Hodges, and Jim Stejskal; and Board of Education members: Dan Tjornehoj, Mark Kaisersatt, Cindy Crimmins, Brian Bell, Tracy Habisch-Ahlin, Tom Holland, Lynn Robson, and Barb Van Loenen. Said Bowen-Eggebraaten, “The actions of this group of future focused individuals align with the district’s strategic vision, HSD 2025, and models sustainability for our next generation of leaders who get to live and learn in this space.”

Bowen-Eggebraaten is pleased that the school district’s commitment to sustainability is being acknowledged, solidifying its position as a community leader in sustainability. “It is an honor and validation to receive LEED Gold,” she described. “And to achieve it well below average costs is extremely satisfying. Hoffman, through its design of River Crest, has set a new standard for construction in the Hudson community and given the district the proud distinction of being a leader in sustainability—and more importantly—a leader in designing space for learning.”

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Hoffman LLC, based in Appleton, Wisconsin, is a planning, architectural, and construction management firm whose mission is to make a positive impact on people’s lives and their environment by providing creative ideas and responsible solutions. Total Project Management: Vision Taken to the Power of Green® (TPMg), is Hoffman’s exclusive process that integrates efficient, healthy, and cost-effective building solutions that respect the environment while enhancing a building’s quality and value and reducing initial and long-term facility costs. Learn more at http://www.hoffman.net.

Hoffman was the first commercial planning, architectural, and construction management firm in Wisconsin to be awarded membership in Green America’s Green Business Network, the oldest association of socially and environmentally responsible businesses in the country.

Contacts: Hoffman, LLC Paul J. Hoffman Mark Hanson PhD LEED® AP Owner and CEO Director of Sustainable Services Phone: (920) 380-2121 Phone: (608) 692-1915

River Crest Elementary School Mary Bowen-Eggebraaten Pat Hodges Superintendent of Schools Principal Phone: (715) 377-3702 Phone: (715) 377-3890




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