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 About 500 elementary school students had previously been split between two outdated buildings, according to a press release.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

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Sam Houston State University Completes Athletic Stadium Renovations

    Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, recently announced the reopening of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium after an extensive renovation project, according to a news release. The university partnered with Stantec and DLR Group for the project’s design.