Public K-12 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.

Kairos Academy High School

Posted on December 10, 2024

Kairos Academies is a high performing public charter school in St. Louis, serving grades 6 to 12. Founded in 2019, Kairos Academies has a unique teaching method involving a high degree of self-directed work that will enable students for the contemporary work environment they will face as adults. This educational method informs the design of the school’s teaching spaces, which include a higher mix of common and breakout spaces than conventional schools.

Kairos has operated in a leased warehouse space since its start. When it became clear that their ambitious model was delivering great results and they would need a permanent home, they reached out to Bush (formerly UIC in St. Louis) to assist in identifying and developing a new home. Having successfully completed the development of two high-performing charter schools in St. Louis previously, Bush had the experience to help Kairos realize their goals.

Bush’s engagement started with programming and sizing of the project, along with site identification and acquisition. In the spring of 2024, Kairos acquired a 4.5 acre site in the Bevo Mills neighborhood. Bush has created designs to rehabilitate the 100,000 sf existing building on the site into a school that will enable Kairos’ teaching method and allow them to continue to grow.

Bush’s development team is working with Kairos and has helped source New Market Tax Credits along with investments and financing for the projects and will start construction on the project in early 2025.

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.

Lafayette Preparatory Academy

Posted on December 10, 2024

Phase 1 – Renovation of Classroom Buildings of Historic Lafayette Church

23,000SF

Lafayette Preparatory Academy is a top-ranked St. Louis City charter school and its reputation continues to grow. Their facility is in the prominent and beautiful neighborhood of Lafayette Square, near downtown. They came to us when they found a building in the area that they were trying to serve – the historic Lafayette Church at the northeast corner of Lafayette Square Park. The building had a lot of potential – though not a lot of land – and that worked for the school from a location and financial perspective. We were able to help with the development of the building, including acquisition, financing, deployment of incentives, and planning.

In order to meet the schedule the school needed to begin holding classes in the building, we divided the project into two phases. The first phase was the 23,000sf renovation of two of the old Sunday School classroom buildings. Both of historic significance, one was built in the 1940s and the other in the 1960s, and both were in terrible shape having been vacant for several years. The design team worked with the school leadership and staff to re-purpose the space into light-filled and spacious classrooms, a library, offices, and cafeteria / multi-purpose room. Once complete, the school began using the facility and we began to prepare for Phase 2. Interestingly, the 1940s building had been designed to have two more stories added to it, but the plan was never carried out. With such little space on the site to build, the challenge for Phase 2 was to fit several more middle school classrooms and a gym on the site.

Phase 2 – Middle School Addition and Gym Addition

16,500SF

After completing Phase 1 – renovation of the classroom buildings – we began planning for Phase 2, which was decidedly more complicated. The design team was able to squeeze a two-story classroom building between the historic church and the 1960s building, and connect the floors. We also designed and engineered the addition of a full-sized gym on top of the existing 1940s building. The original plans for the building called for a vertical addition of two more floors of classrooms. Ultimately we were able to add the gym and successfully navigate the code changes that were made.

Being in a historic district, the new construction portions of the project faced regulatory challenges and approvals required by City guidelines. We were able to work with the neighborhood and the Preservation Board to design a beautiful addition to the neighborhood and a functional facility for the school.

City Garden Montessori School

Posted on December 10, 2024

City Garden Montessori Charter School is a grass roots public charter school serving children from pre-school through 8th grade. The school serves the children in the Shaw, Botanical Heights, and Forest Park Southeast neighborhoods and consistently rates as one of the top performing schools in the State of Missouri. Like many community initiated charter schools, City Garden began with kindergarteners and first graders only. As the children aged through the school and new students came into the kindergarten level, the school grows to its planned size. The funding formula is based on a per student allocation from the state, so in these early years, charter schools have to be smart about their expenses and facility choices.

When the City Garden board and staff began working with our team, they had been operating for three years in the basement of a generous church, but were facing an impending crunch of space as their enrollment expanded. At the same time, they were not quite to 50% of the eventual enrolment and with this the funding to make the next step in their facilities need. Working collaboratively with City Garden, the community, and our lending partners, we developed a financially viable facility solution that would allow for a new long term facility on an escalating lease plan that modeled the school’s growth, with later options for purchasing the building. This allowed the school to move into the facility they needed on the terms that fit their budget, and concentrate their efforts on educating children and positively impacting the community.

Our design and construction teams followed the development process, creating an exceptional design in this 1940’s warehouse building, on a short timeline. This once nearly abandoned and boarded up building, now features large naturally lit classrooms, a central atrium space, gymnasium and pending LEED certification.

To find out more about City Garden, please visit www.citygardenschool.org.

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 | New District Office and Production Kitchen

Posted on September 29, 2023

It’s out with the old, and in with the new! The Rock Island – Milan School District #41 came to us with three main goals for their brand-new administrative center: unify staff, accelerate food production, and create more storage space.

After years of operating in an old, cramped, and energy inefficient space, Bush Construction delivered a 35,000 new-build administrative center comprised of a district office (18,000 SF), a warehouse (11,000 SF), and a food production area (6,000 SF).

The one-level layout improves accessibility and ease of use for the multi-purpose building. To increase security and privacy for staff, a brand-new secure entryway was installed.

After previously working out of multiple small kitchens in different locations, a centrally located production kitchen was essential to the district. The new top-of-the-line, high-performance kitchen will allow the nutrition services team to prepare more than 4,000 meals per day with increased quality and efficiency.

The new space will serve as a gathering space for students, staff and community alike.

Rock Island High School

Posted on July 7, 2023

The near-century-old Rock Island High School has new life after a renovation/addition of more than 60,000 square feet. The $10.8 million project required a complex reconfiguration of the main floor including a relocation of the main office, nurses’ office, administrator, and athletic director offices to improve overall flow and accessibility. The adjustments required an addition to the existing building.

A major transformation to the school’s main entryway creates a modern and welcoming first impression while enhancing security measures. Just inside, students can now enjoy a college-like atmosphere with a new and improved cafeteria as well as lavished common areas to socialize, study and relax.

Rocky’s exterior also got some much-needed attention including safety and efficiency upgrades to the pick-up/drop-off areas, expanded staff parking, and new outdoor courtyard spaces to enjoy. The library and various classrooms throughout the school were also renovated.

As school was in session for the majority of construction, our team coordinated closely with officials to ensure as little disruption as possible to staff and students.

Muscatine High School

Posted on November 18, 2020

The Muscatine High School STEM project included the construction of a two-story addition designed to support hands-on, future-focused learning. This modern expansion is home to state-of-the-art science labs and instructional spaces that enhance the school’s growing STEM curriculum and provide students with environments that encourage collaboration, experimentation, and innovation.

The addition features 12 new classrooms, including two special education classrooms, four fully equipped chemistry labs, three physics labs, and three general science labs. Each space was thoughtfully designed to support advanced instruction, safety requirements, and flexible learning needs for both students and educators.

Beyond traditional classroom spaces, the project added several unique features to enrich the educational experience. Students and staff now have access to a “green roof” that serves as an outdoor classroom, offering opportunities for environmental learning and hands-on study. The addition also includes a dedicated staff workroom, a STEM room for collaborative projects and instruction, and learning stairs that create an open, interactive gathering space for informal learning and student engagement.

United Township High School | Student Life Center

Posted on May 5, 2020

The Student Life Addition at United Township High School consists of a 25,624 SF addition and 6,687 SF renovation of the administrative offices, Media Collections Center, Student Store
and Café. It also features a Student Life Area which provides a gathering space for students that serves as a central location for students to gather, socialize, and interact with each other. The Student Life Area is connected to the existing cafeteria that consists of 19,059 SF and underwent a cosmetic renovation as part of this project.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Iowa named the United Township High School project a 2020 People’s Choice Award Winners. OPN Architects led the design of this exceptional project that we are pleased to be the construction manager of.

Bettendorf Community School District | Mark Twain

Posted on February 6, 2020

The Bettendorf Board of Education approved a six-year facility plan that included demolishing the 62-year-old Mark Twain Elementary School and building a brand new space to house both Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson students.

Mark Twain’s new 21st-century facility includes a learning stair, natural lighting with windows overlooking Duck Creek, learning pods, collaboration areas, a secure entrance, a new gym, library, and common areas. The new school is adjacent to the old school, which has been demolished for additional parking, playground and green space.

In addition, Bush Construction donated two custom shelves that team members thoughtfully fabricated out of a salvaged beam from the original school. Now, students, faculty and staff will be able to carry memories from their former school to their new school.

At the ribbon-cutting, Mark Twain Elementary halls were filled with joy and excitement. “It’s a new beginning. It’s a start for all of us in a brand new building. We’re excited to dig in and teach and learn in a new facility,” said Caroline Olson, Principal at Mark Twain.

In addition, Adam Holland, School Board President for Bettendorf Schools and Assistant Vice President, Commercial Banker at Northwest Bank said, “The team at Bush Construction did an outstanding job as the CM for our new Mark Twain Elementary School. From the moment we began the process, they were not just a hired firm, but a partner in every step of the process. Any issues that arose throughout the process were communicated in a timely manner and solutions were provided as well.”

According to the school’s fact sheet, the new school design brings more space, more light, more community use, and more flexible learning opportunities for the Bettendorf community.

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Public K-12

Green House Venture: Urban Agriculture Education Center

Kairos Academy High School

Green House Venture

Lafayette Preparatory Academy

Phase 1 – Renovation of Classroom Buildings of Historic Lafayette Church

Phase 2 – Middle School Addition and Gym Addition

City Garden Montessori School

Rock Island-Milan School District 41 | New District Office and Production Kitchen

Rock Island High School

Muscatine High School

United Township High School | Student Life Center

Bettendorf Community School District | Mark Twain

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Phase 1 – Renovation of Classroom Buildings of Historic Lafayette Church

Phase 2 – Middle School Addition and Gym Addition

Have an inquiry?Contact us.

Have an inquiry?
Contact us.