LEED® / Sustainable

Neumann Monson Architects is committed to incorporating LEED® concepts and strategies into every project to increase the productivity, health and comfort of occupants while reducing operating costs and energy dependency. We have 19 LEED Accredited Professionals on our team and are able to demonstrate how LEED strategies create high performance facilities that improve our communities and our world.

We designed Iowa’s first green roof, Iowa’s first LEED Certified public school and what will be Iowa’s first LEED Certified municipal building. And we practice what we preach in our recently completed and soon-to-be LEED Certified offices in downtown Iowa City.

Sustainable Design Projects:

• Rowing Team Boathouse, University of Iowa
  
• Terry Lockridge & Dunn
  
• Davenport Police Facility, Goal: LEED Gold Certification
  
• James Van Allen Elementary, LEED Silver, June 2006
  
• North Central Junior High
  
• Elizabeth Tate High School
  
• North Ridge Park Pavilion: Iowa’s first green roof
  
• Willowwind School, Goal: LEED Gold Certification
  
• St. Thomas More Catholic Church
  
• Neumann Monson Offices, Goal: LEED Gold Certification
  
• ACT Operation Center Center, Goal: LEED Platinum Certification
  

Davenport Police Facility

Davenport, Iowa
93,000 sf building; 68,800 sf parking garage

The new police facility is being constructed on the existing site and will include a two-level attached parking garage as the second phase of construction. Full operations will remain in tact on site throughout construction. The site is in the midst of other city and county functions, including the City Hall and the County Courthouse/Jail. A skywalk connects the police facility to the courthouse. The exterior is comprised of precast and aluminum panels with large expanses of glazing and sunscreens. LEED™ Gold certification is being pursued. Anticipated completion date is July 2007 with the parking structure following in January 2008.

Elizabeth Tate High School, Iowa City Community School District

Iowa City, Iowa
20,000 sf
2005 MidAmerican Energy Partner of the Year

A community planning process was used for this project and was particularly appropriate because of the curriculum’s emphasis on community. Classrooms are designed with adjoining group study rooms and are larger than standard to facilitate flexibility. Educational opportunities continue outside with garden and arboretum spaces and outdoor classrooms to the south. Clerestory windows give the exterior a distinctive appearance and provide an abundance of natural light to the interior. The largest of these is located over the commons and success center. Additional clerestory windows are located over each classroom to ensure maximum daylight in each room.

North Central Junior High, Iowa City Community School District

North Liberty, Iowa
82,250 sf
2006 AIA Iowa Merit Award for Excellence in Sustainable Design
Published in Iowa Architect, Issue 06:258

This new junior high facility shares a 60-acre campus with the district’s newest elementary school. A 30-acre sloping green space divides the two schools and acts as an outdoor classroom/laboratory. The facility has been designed according to high performance guidelines:

• Natural light is optimized and indoor air quality is superior
  
• Designed to reduce maintenance and operating costs using materials whose environmental impact is minimal
  

North Ridge Park Pavilion, City of Coralville

Coralville, Iowa
3,013 sf
2003 Masonry Institute of Iowa Award of Merit with Distinction

The Pavilion accommodates the city’s recreation programs and serves as a welcoming landmark for the city’s western gateway. The guiding vision for the project transcends the typical utilitarian nature of a park pavilion and serves as a model of sustainable design. The structure includes Iowa’s first green roof, recycled barn timbers as interior trusses and indigenous limestone as both an exterior and interior material. The large glazed southern exposure of the open space makes use of passive solar techniques. Massing of smaller spaces along the north interior also minimizes heat loss due to winter wind exposure.

James Van Allen Elementary School, Iowa City Community School District

North Liberty, Iowa
61,000 sf
2006 AIA Iowa Honorable Mention Award for Excellence in Sustainable Design
Published in Iowa Architect, Issue 06:258

Iowa’s first LEED™ Certified school shares a 60-acre site with a new junior high. Thirty acres of green space will be used for hands-on learning opportunities. Clerestory windows admit glare-free lighting in classrooms and learning centers. Artificial lights with sensors supplement natural daylighting when necessary. The gymnasium can be lit entirely by natural light thanks to the band of translucent material that wraps the perimeter of the space. The use of a geo-thermal heat pump system, low-e glass, highly-durable, low-maintenance building materials, and high-recycle-content products ensure this building will have low operating costs, is friendly to its occupants and is responsible to the environment throughout its life.