Minn. District Consolidates All Students into One Facility

Construction company Kraus-Anderson recently announced the completion of a $30-million elementary school in Pipestone, Minn. The facility is an addition to the district’s existing middle and high school building, meaning that the full facility will house all of the district’s 1,150 public school students. About 500 elementary school students had previously been split between two outdated buildings, according to a press release.

The elementary school addition covers 85,940 square feet and serves students in grades preK–5. The two-story facility features amenities like a central visitor entrance for security reasons, a renovated and expanded kitchen and cafeteria, a new gymnasium, flex learning areas, and administration offices. Kraus-Anderson and the school district partnered with ISG Architects for the design process.

Other design features include flexible classroom seating and tables with adjustable heights; tables that students can write on; one flexible learning space per floor, and sensory rooms with adjustable lighting and special equipment.

Voters approved the district bond referendum project in 2019.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Reopens Scovell Hall

    The University of Kentucky recently reopened Scovell Hall, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), following comprehensive renovations to the 120-year-old facility in Lexington, Ky., according to a news release.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.