Thoughtful and smart design of Kennedy Elementary not only better positioned the Dubuque area’s second largest elementary school to meet the community’s growing needs, but also earned the project a state honor for its significant energy savings.



project overview
When the project began, the school had the second largest student enrollment of the 13 elementary schools in the Dubuque Community School District and served the fastest growing residential communities of Dubuque.
With a significant list of needs, Origin Design worked with school leaders and the community to develop a plan that would provide the school with additional classrooms, special education space and community areas. The design included a 16,000-square-foot addition with four kindergarten classrooms, music and art classrooms, a 30-station computer lab, three special education classrooms, a high school sized gymnasium used by the City for after school programs as well as a community conference room.
The facility features a closed-loop geothermal mechanical system that resulted in energy savings when compared to the baseline.
The selection of the geothermal mechanical system resulted from a thorough cost analysis of the school’s mechanical systems as a part of the Alliant Energy New Construction Rebate Program.
This project earned the 2015 Excellence in Energy Efficient Design Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in Iowa.

