Higher Education Archives - Bush Construction

Green House Venture: Urban Agriculture Education Center

Posted on September 12, 2025

Bush Construction is honored to serve as the design-build partner for the Green House Venture Education Center – a visionary project that blends sustainability, education, and community impact. Located in St. Louis’ historic Shaw neighborhood, this 9,500-square-foot facility is the capstone to the Green House Venture (GHV) campus and a cornerstone for STEM and bioscience education across the region.

As both designer and builder, Bush Construction worked closely with GHV from day one to translate their mission into a dynamic, forward-thinking facility. Every element of the design reflects a shared commitment to hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and access to cutting-edge agricultural technology.

As Sarah Gibson, Bush Construction’s Director of Design in St. Louis, shared during the groundbreaking ceremony:
“It is one thing to design and build a building, but it is another to rally a community, a city, donors and volunteers behind a vision. Just like planting a garden, many times we see the bounty but forget about the effort it took to get the soil mix right… The Green House Venture has planted seeds over the past several years, spread them widely, and changed planting strategies to benefit the vision and increase the impact when called for.”

The Education Center features:

A state-of-the-art greenhouse with aquaponics, vertical farming, and rooftop rain gardens
Flexible classrooms and lab space designed for bioscience and nutrition curriculum
A demonstration kitchen, multi-purpose gallery, and gathering areas for both students and the community
Integrated media technology enabling live-streamed instruction and regional outreach
Sustainable infrastructure including solar readiness, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient systems

Our team prioritized universal design principles and long-term sustainability throughout—from concept to construction—ensuring the center is accessible, adaptable, and built to serve generations of students.

Slated to open in Fall 2026, this project embodies Bush Construction’s ability to deliver complex, community-centered spaces through a fully integrated design-build approach. We are proud to help Green House Venture bring their bold vision to life and build a platform for future leaders in science, agriculture, and wellness.

Green House Venture

Posted on December 10, 2024

The Green House Venture (GHV) is an educational and community resource that synergizes the interests of multiple institutions in South St. Louis city in their search for more robust STEM/STEAM education. The Venture brings Saint Louis University together with four elementary schools, each with its own distinctive mission and character –public, charter, parochial, Christian-in a single Urban Education Alliance District. It will offer hands-on learning opportunities for schools in a building that is itself a model for sustainability and urban agriculture. In conjunction with the SLU Salus Center, it will offer outreach and food distribution programs to benefit the community. In addition, the Venture will be a new, iconic building for the neighborhood, demonstrating that green architecture and urban agriculture are not simply trendy or ad-hoc solutions, but vibrant and lasting visions for the future of living in cities.

The 10,000sf facility includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, bio-lab space, a gallery, growing spaces, and office and support areas. The growing spaces include indoor and outdoor areas to demonstrate the potential for year-round food production, and encompass 5 distinct areas: SMOS Dragon’s Garden, a lesson in the remediation of urban land; the main greenhouse and aquaponics gallery for understanding growing in small ecosystems; the hydroponic roof garden, demonstrating the ease of adapting lightweight roof gardens for home use; the courtyard, a series of trellised fruit trees and growing towers; and the embankment garden, a 2-block reclaiming of unused land adjacent to the highway for urban agriculture and native plants.

Augustana College | Erickson Hall

Posted on September 26, 2024

Our design-build team successfully executed a floor to ceiling renovation of the C Wing of Augustana Erickson Residence Hall, which was last updated in 1966.

Student dorm rooms that are home to 350 sophomores annually, were upgraded to include modern comforts and finishes. Upgrades to the building include the installation of new windows, exterior lighting, HVAC, and electrical systems, as well as aesthetic finishes, cabinets, and countertops.

Individual bathroom “pods” were built with ADA accessibility and gender-equality measures in mind, ensuring inclusivity for all residents. The establishment of gender-neutral bathrooms not only enhanced the visual appeal of the wing but also provides flexibility for Augustana’s housing plan.

The Bush team used creative problem solving throughout construction to proactively address potential logistic concerns.

For example, to make the future move-in process easier for the owner, we left a window out of each floor and used a forklift, avoiding the need to carry furniture up several levels of stairs.

To avoid disruptions as the school year approached, we created a 3-phase move-in plan that staggered student early arrivals, starting with the 3rd floor and working down to the 1st. This phased approach ensured a smooth and efficient move-in process. Throughout construction, we worked closely with Augustana to minimize disruptions, allowing them to continue using adjacent parts of the building without conflict.

SAU Assumption Wrestling

Posted on April 18, 2023

To accommodate the first-ever wrestling team at St. Ambrose University, Bush Construction completed the new wrestling training facility. The project includes men’s and women’s locker rooms, four offices for the coaching staff, and three full-size wrestling mats. Assumption High School will also be utilizing this space for their wrestling team needs.

Augustana College | Bergendoff Hall

Posted on April 13, 2023

On this renovation, Bush Construction upgraded classrooms as well as rehearsal and performance spaces. A common area corridor was also upgraded for the music and performing arts department at Augustana College. The project had two phases. One was a fast-paced renovation over the summer (offices and one classroom). In phase 2 of this renovation, Bush Construction upgraded 2 floors of classrooms as well as rehearsal, performance spaces, and faculty offices. All common areas and corridors were also renovated for the music and performing arts department at Augustana.

During demo, we came across many issues in the previous design and build. After completing the demolition, we worked with the architect and owner to achieve the desired design with the existing conditions. With all new plumbing, updated emergency systems, updated lighting and controls, and a totally new aesthetic, we feel confident Augustana will love their new space at Bergendoff Hall. The faculty feedback has already been a plus.

Phase 1

Phase 2

St. Ambrose University | McMullen Hall

Posted on August 26, 2020

McMullen Hall is nestled on the southwest corner of the St. Ambrose University campus and is the new, state-of-the-art home to the University’s College of Business. The $8.6 million project included the renovation of the existing 38,000 SQFT building and a 16,000 SQFT addition. According to St. Ambrose, “a major focus of the project has been the integration of old and new, reflecting the University’s agility while holding tight to our history and mission.”

The new addition features ten new classrooms and a student commons area highlighted, a sales lab with six individual team rooms, a tiered lecture classroom, and a finance lab. The varied classroom styles assist the University in preparing students for the business world, which focuses on teams and collaboration. The renovation of the existing building converted existing classrooms into faculty offices and added a Dean’s office suite.

Black Hawk College

Posted on February 13, 2019

The 16,000 SF Black Hawk College project created a welcoming entrance for all students, especially new and prospective students. The goal of this project was to create a new “front door” for the Black Hawk QC Campus.

Bush Construction was able to construct precisely what the college wanted while completing the project 4 months ahead of schedule. The addition of several owner-requested change orders were executed to ensure the client’s complete satisfaction with all aspects of the project.

We were able to coordinate these changes, while never losing sight of our schedule. This early completion allowed the owner to begin operations well before the anticipated timeframe.

Demolition and construction activities commenced while the semester was in session. To accommodate the students, flooring in existing corridors needed to be completed over weekends and holidays. It is our goal, at Bush Construction, to work closely with the client to meet their needs, especially when that involves working in an occupied space.

St. Ambrose University | Ambrose Hall Exterior

Posted on February 12, 2019

Bush Construction rose to the challenge on this project to completely restore the exterior facade of St. Ambrose Hall, the fully-occupied campus icon of St. Ambrose University built in 1885. This renovation served two purposes: to repair the deteriorating facade of the building and to return the structure to its original configuration based on construction plans that were developed 128 years ago. This complex project required daily coordination and cooperation from both the project team and the university faculty. Countless hours were spent in pre-planning the coordination, delivery, removal, and replacement of each of the 370 custom window units.

Other major construction activities included the replacement of all deteriorated brick and stone, tuckpointing of all masonry joints, restoration of all wood soffit, fascia and cornice work, replacement of the majority of the existing roof material, restoration of the existing clock tower, restoration of the existing dormers, and removal and infill of the existing exterior fire escapes. Mansards were restored to their original condition with the use of natural slate and copper flashings.

Bush Construction also built North Hall, a new residence hall, for St. Ambrose University in 2012.

Western Illinois University Riverfront Campus | Phase II

Posted on February 12, 2019

Phase II of Western Illinois University’s Riverfront Campus is a state-of-the-art, 95,000 SF project, which includes three separate structures. Each building is interconnected by two enclosed pedestrian bridges, which not only provides unique views of the campus and Mississippi River but assists with climate control within the building as well.

This LEED Silver certified project incorporated a number of “green” building features such as vegetative roofing, various forms of permeable paving, lighting and building controls, and strategically placed windows allowing for efficient use of natural daylight.

As with any educational project, timing and schedule was of paramount importance to the client. Even though Bush Construction dealt with the challenge of constructing during one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record, they were able to enclose the project, modify the original plan, and continue working without having to sacrifice quality. The project team also worked with the school and its vendors to provide a phased turnover of the spaces to facilitate their furniture and equipment deliveries and installation.

Western Illinois University Riverfront Campus | Phase I

Posted on February 12, 2019

This LEED Silver project at Western Illinois University’s Riverfront Campus consisted of the partial demolition of the existing structure, a large 2-story addition, and the complete remodeling of the entire existing structure. The facility houses classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms, meeting rooms, Engineering Technology labs, and offices. The mechanical and electrical systems are highly integrated and efficient utilizing advanced automation and geothermal technology. Many other sustainable features were incorporated into the project like a green roof, cork flooring, and bamboo wall treatments.