Cedar Rapids, IA
The Cedar Rapids Community School District serves over 17,000 students and is comprised of 22 elementary schools, six middle schools, four high schools and one alternative center. As a result of the devastating flood of June 2008, the District lost a majority of its support facilities.
With funding from FEMA Flood Recovery, School Infrastructure Local Option Sales Tax (SILO) and Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management, the District was able to build the Educational Leadership and Support Center (ELS Center), a new 20-acre development with a 169,000-square-foot building.
Prior to the flood, support facilities were spread throughout the city. By consolidating all the district services into one location, the building achieved operational efficiencies which will add to the bottom line. The ELS Center houses:
- Administration
- Board of Education meeting space
- Professional Development Center
- Graphics and printing
- Buildings and grounds (building maintenance, carpenters and painters)
- Custodial and grounds
- Purchasing
- Warehouse space
- Transportation services
One special feature of the building is a 500 person safe room with a stocked supply room, ventilation, restrooms and TV monitors for use in case of a tornado or sever storm.
The ELS Center is a 100-year facility and its buildings and campus features several strategies that make them sustainable and build to last. These strategies include:
- Concrete built to Iowa DOT roadway standards to increase longevity
- The use of mechanical mezzanines to avoid putting equipment on the roof creating penetrations in the roof membrane and to keep equipment out of the elements
- The design of the building provides flexibility for the future with its post and beam construction which allows for cost efficient reconfiguration as needed.
Through these energy efficiencies, the District expects to reduce utility costs for years to come.
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tags: sustainable, graphics, revit, signage, wayfinding, community relations, demolition, energy, maintenance, garage, carwash, office