Tumwater School District Administrative Offices

Open House
October 8, 2009

The mission of the Tumwater School District is to provide Continuous Student Learning in a Caring Environment.

The resources required to meet the mission are both tangible and intangible. This New District Office embodies the tangible commitment of the District to the development of a caring environment.

The facility is 22,805 square feet and is organized in the form of an ‘L’. The administration and Board Room are at the front of the building, Student Learning and Special Services are in the West, or “educational” wing, and Human Resources, Payroll, Financial Services, Capital Projects and Technology are in the South or “operations” wing. The building was designed for future expansion to the East. Spaces include offices, group work areas, multi-functional meeting rooms and storage for each of the departments.

The facility is located on the site of the old Michael T. Simmons Elementary School, adjacent the old District Office which was housed in a renovated classroom building. Extensive study during the Schematic Design phase, along with subsequent value engineering, revealed project costs would be significantly reduced if a new facility were to be constructed in lieu of remodeling the existing building.

This information was presented to the School Board and they made the final decision to move forward with a new building.

The old building was about 19,800 square feet and the planned addition would have brought it to just over 23,000 sf. The new building is 22,805 sf and was built in ten months for 5.7 million dollars.

While discussed, it was decided receiving a LEED performance rating was not a specific goal. In concert with the District, we used the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol as a scorecard to determine if the facility was meeting the Teams goals for sustainability. And it did!

The building uses certified-sustainable wood for nearly all the framing lumber in the walls and roof. Other materials are either produced locally to reduce transportation resources, are made from recycled materials, or both.

The building is designed to use twenty percent less energy than allowed by State code. The District received grants for these energy savings from PSE and for water savings from the City of Tumwater.

The character of the building was strongly influenced by the surrounding residential neighborhoods and incorporates materials and details in harmony with its context. While residential in nature, the materials chosen are long lasting and easily maintained.

The facility also serves as an emergency operations center for the District and includes a substantial emergency generator providing power, heat and communications to ensure critical services are available should the need arise.

Ambia is very proud of our long lasting relationship with the Tumwater School District and the opportunity this project provided us to work with such an energetic and committed group of individuals.