Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minn. District Consolidates All Students into One Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/24/21

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 About 500 elementary school students had previously been split between two outdated buildings, according to a press release.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

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars