Hickory Hills Middle School

Springfield, Missouri needed an efficient, highly compatible school facility for the community. Olsson Associates was hired and is currently designing the mechanical and electrical systems for the new Hickory Hills Middle School for Springfield Public Schools.

The new facility has an approximate budget of $15 million, and it is anticipated that the 113,000- square-foot school will attain a LEED Silver status from the U.S. Green Building Council. Hickory Hills has a gymnasium and auditorium similar to other middle school facilities, but it also incorporates a commons area. This commons area is used as a cafeteria when school is in session, and as a community meeting area when school is not in session.

The Olsson-designed system is maintaining the green approach to this project. Independent systems are utilized to condition outdoor air needed for ventilation. These outdoor air units incorporate recovery devices that filter the air leaving the building and return it to the air entering the building in order to save energy. The mechanical system then feeds into energy-efficient water-source heat pumps to maintain temperature control in the individual classrooms and building areas.

Day-lighting is prevalent in the hallway areas. Classrooms also have energy-efficient lighting controls to allow flexibility in delivering the correct lighting for the task at hand.

The Olsson team managed a fixed budget to design and implement a specialized mechanical and electrical system for the Springfield community facility.