1. education
2. school

Design Team:
Peckham & Wright Architects, Inc. - Project Administrator/
Architect: Nick Peckham; Architecture: Brad Wright, Mark
Andre, Adrienne Stolwyk
Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw, Inc. - Structural Engineering:
Tom Trabue; Civil Engineering: Tom Wooten
Timberlake Engineering, P.C. - Mechanical & Electrical
Engineering: Mark Timberlake, Rory Stegeman
Acoustical Design Group - Acoustical Design: Russ Olsen
S & V Consultants - Truss Design: Roger Verslues
Project Solutions Companies - Advanced Commissioning:
Lawrence Lile
Columbia Public Schools Team:
Superintendent - Dr. Phylis Chase, Dr. Jim Ritter
Elementary Superintendent - Dr. Jack Jensen
Grant Elementary Principal - Dr. Beverly Borduin
Finance - Linda Quinley
Teacher - Jennifer Hartz
Facilities - Chester Edwards, Charles Oestreich, Don Kardell
IT Director - Dave Kessler
Public Relations - School Board
Construction Team:
A 1 Rental - Concrete mixer
Ahrens Steel & Welding Supplies - Steel Truss Plates: Mike
Becker
Alpine Builders - General Contracting, concrete labor, SIPS
labor, windows and door labor, siding and soffit labor,
concrete countertops, painting labor and skylight
installation: Scott Powell, Matt Pigg, Robert Conner
ALPRO Acoustical Systems - Acoustical Systems
Manufacturer: Albert Pitts
Barry Cameron Design & Build - Siding Labor, rain barrel
installation: Barry Cameron, Joey Cameron, Trevor
Reeves
Ben Vineyard Construction - SIPS labor, windows and door
installation, skylight installation: Ben Vineyard, Rob
Irvin, Robert Jamison
Bobcat of St. Louis/Columbia - Bobcat
Boone County Lumber - Hardiplank & Trim, soffits: Brad
Eiffert
Boone County Millworks - Doors: Greg Eiffert
Carol Brown Custom Sewing - Drapery: Carol Brown
Christensen Construction - Recycled asphalt walks, siding
labor: Rob Christensen
Cloutman and Stingley - Walkoff Mat: Rick Stingley, Tina
Fisher
Coastal Electric - Electrical Conduit: Dennis Palmer
Columbia Ready Mix - Flyash Concrete: Earl Ginter
Columbia Sign Service - Crane
Columbia Welding & Machine - Truss Plates
Crescent Parts & Equipment Company - Electrical
Equipment: Alan Eddie
Dave Griggs Flooring America - Bio-based tile floor:
Sunday Nickerson, Dave Griggs
D & L Construction - Flatwork: Mark Donoho, Mike Lent
Designer Landscape - Landscape: Gene Hrdina, Jason
Dubbert, Thelma Conner
Dubinski Drywall - Drywall Labor: John Dubinski
Energy Savings Store - Photovoltaic System: Bob Solger
Gary Pauley Construction - Soffit labor: Matt Kollmeyer
GetAboutColumbia - Bike Racks: Corry Flaker
Golterman & Sabo - Tackboards: Cyndi Walker
Greenheck - Heat Recovery Unit: Jon Wells
Hardware Resources - Cabinet hardware
Home Depot - Rock Fill Slab Insulation, Skylights, Base &
Trim: Jim Panacek, Sean Johnson
Independent Stave Company - Rain Barrels: The Boswell
Family
James Hardie Company - Siding Manufacturer
Jim Peckham - Labor
Johnston Paint and Decorating - Paint (Benjamin Moore
Paints) : Melissa Murphy
Liberty Hardwoods - Cabinets
Lindsey Rental Trailer - Sherman Brown, Billy Spry
Marathon Office Interiors - File Cabinets: Greg Wolff
Mark Hall Cabinets - Cabinets: Stephanie Hall
Mick Wurzer - Project Sign installation, contracting
Mid-City Lumber Co., Ltd. - Timber Trusses: Kevin Pickett
Midwest Electronics - Fire Alarm Connection: Ralf Nosic
Miratec Composite Trim - Trim
Mitsubishi - HVAC System
Palmer Painting - Painting: Jeanne Crowley
Paric Construction - Trim Labor: Joe Cook
Precision Electric - Electrical labor: Todd Noordsay
Professional Contractors & Engineers, Inc. - Earthwork,
Foundation & Slab, Concrete labor: Andy Bonderer, Gary
Brown, Randall Dennison, Mike McMahan, Brian Small,
David Sparks, Jason Schoeneberg, Shawn Tiffany, and
John Ewens
Quaker Windows - Windows: Mike Knoll
Rafferty Lighting - T-8 Lights: Mike Rafferty
Randy Ott Trucking - Trucking: Wanda Ott
Rapp Electric - Electrical Service: Billy Rapp; Electric
Excavation: Travis Greenup
REW Materials - Drywall: Clint Wright
Robert Meunier - Trim labor
Sebco Companies, Inc. - Acoustical Ceiling Distributor Tectum: Scott Brumbach, Josh Mundwiller, Mark
Mundwiller
Star Heating and Cooling - HRU Labor & Heat Pump Labor:
David Thompson, Neil Ishmael, David Cook, Nathan
Wood, Ryan Jones, and Mark Schutte
Steve Schaefer Flooring - Floor Installation: Steve Schaefer
Stickman Productions - Cabinets, concrete countertops:
Andy Werth
Thermocore of Missouri, LLC - SIPS Manufacturer: Stephan
Johansmeyer, Mikey Mantle, Pat Hood, Jeremy Patrick
Triple B Doors - Door closers & floor stops: Bob Drainer
Watkins Roofing - Roof, flashing, gutters and downspouts:
Dan Coleman
Grants:
Boone Community Trust - Photovoltaic Panels: Robbie Price
Boone Electric Trust - Photovoltaic Panels
William T. Kemper Foundation, Commerce Bank Photovoltaic Panels
Hinkle Trust - Photovoltaic Panels
Other Services:
Bee Seen Signs - Project Sign: Tom Hourigan
Columbia Public Works - Zoning: John Glascock
Columbia Protective Inspection - Permit: Steve Buckles
Docucopy, LLC - Documents Printing: Ron Edwards
Peckham & Wright Architects - Graphic Design: Dawn L.
Andres; Permit fee: Nicholas Peckham
US Green Building Council - LEED® for Schools:
www.USGBC.org
“Everything we do for children counts double.” - Nick Peckham, AIA
Grant Elementary School, Columbia, Missouri
LEED®ing the Way
When the Columbia Public
School District lost an overflow
classroom trailer to arson fire
in 2007, Peckham & Wright
Architects, Inc. (PWA)
proposed replacing it in a way
that would best serve the
School District, teachers and
children. The Eco School
House, an energy-efficient
building designed as an
Reminiscent of the one room schoolhouses in which many
alternative to trailer
of our grandparents were educated, the Eco School House
classrooms, is a cooperative
is an state-of-the-art example of sustainable design – an
ideal learning environment for generations to come.
collaboration with the School
District and leaders in the design and construction community.
The building, prominently located on a major street adjacent to the 100-year-old
Grant Elementary School, offers the public a tangible example of the school's
sustainability focus. With a design that meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) criteria, the school has
become a teaching tool, allowing students to see, touch, and learn about the
building's environmental and socially sustainable components.
The project created a "snowball effect" prompting the principal and teachers to
integrate sustainability into the school curriculum and parents to donate time and
materials to expand the garden. The School District, which embraced the unique
project, will continue to seek ways to enhance the welfare and success of its
students through the design of its school facilities.
Most remarkable was the outpouring of community support for the project.
100% of the labor and services were completed on a pro bono basis with
donations of design, materials and construction from over 150 people in 40
organizations – an act of sustainable kindness that will have a profound effect on
the lives of children for many years to come.
“Our children will benefit from this building now, but also learn how to
use our earth’s resources wisely. Eventually these children will be the
leaders of our community and will continue this effort as adults.”
- Dr. Beverly Borduin, Principal
Grant Elementary School, Columbia, Missouri
The Snowball Effect
The primary goals for the Eco School
House were 1) to design a new
classroom that would have a reduced
environmental impact; 2) to increase
student and staff health; 3) to increase
student performance; and 4) to have the
building be a teaching tool on the merits
of sustainable design.
The result of this design focus
prompted the school's principal and
teachers to integrate sustainability into
the school curriculum. The following
activities have been instituted:
• Local utility representatives spoke to
students about energy efficiency and
sustainability issues;
• Parents, children and businesses
donated time and materials for the
garden which has become a National
Wildlife Society Certified Wildlife
Habitat;
• All Grant School students participated
in creating the “windows” sculpture
installed on the south wall above the
garden and fourth graders collaborated
on a poem based on their experiences
in the garden;
• Styrofoam lunch trays have been
replaced with a biodegradable product;
• The school’s recycling program has
expanded;
• An Eco Club and a Stream Team now
focus on environmental issues;
• Paper consumption at Grant School
has reduced;
• An Eco School House song was
written and performed by kids at
various community events;
• A School House Rock event was held
to demonstrate "green" school
activities;
• The Eco School House has been on
the Missouri Solar Homes Tour for the
past 2 years;
• Partnerships with community groups
and business neighbors has reduced
the need for parking and increased
walking to school;
• and bike racks
were installed to
promote
alternative
transportation.
Building
Performance
Of the five
adjunct
classrooms, the
Eco School House
had the lowest rate
of absenteeism and
visits to the nurse.
This suggests that
the building’s
conditions enable
better attendance
and health, which
generally lead to
better learning.
Additionally, the
School District has
compared the Eco
School House's
energy use (at $.67/square foot/year) to
35 of the District's buildings with energy
use ranging from $1.20/s.f./year to $4/
s.f./year. They also compared the
energy use of this classroom with the use
of the standard mobile classroom that it
replaced. The Eco School House used
only 8,171 kwh in its first year of
operation, which is 46% of the energy
used by a standard mobile classroom.
Sustainable Design Benefits
1. Skylights and indirect, energy-efficient
lighting fixtures provide a well-lit and
calming classroom atmosphere.
2. Built-in recycling station encourages
sustainable practices.
3. Floor tile, a low-emitting, durable and
rapidly renewable, domestically grown
corn product, lowers maintenance costs
and improves indoor air quality.
4. Energy Recovery Unit captures
energy from exhaust air to pretreat
incoming air, while the CO2 Sensor
monitors air quality and controls fresh air
supply on demand.
5. Airlock Entry reduces air infiltration.
6. Native plantings require less water and
maintenance.
7. Photovoltaic panels supply roughly
36% of the building’s power needs.
8. Roof reflects heat and lowers the
building’s cooling load.
9. Recycled aluminum acoustical panels
improve the building’s sound quality.
10. Durable, waste reducing,
prefabricated SIP construction with a
vapor barrier minimizes air/water
infiltration and maximizes thermal
efficiency.
11. Energy-efficient heat pump enhances
low temperature heating capability.
12. Windows provide natural daylighting
and cross-ventilation while roof
overhangs reduce harsh light and heat.
13. Low VOC paints and coatings
improve indoor air quality.
14. Rain barrels capture water and a drip
irrigation efficiently funnels water to the
landscape.
15. Light-colored concrete paving helps
moderate exterior air temperature.
16. Fly-ash, a post-industrial recycled
product, improves concrete performance.
17. Durable fiber cement siding lasts
longer and requires less maintenance
than traditional vinyl siding.
For more information about this project
and sustainable design go to the
Peckham & Wright Architects website:
www.PWArchitects.com
573.449.2683