Kraus-Anderson Begins $3.5M Addition, Renovation for Minnesota High School

Construction firm Kraus-Anderson recently began a $3.5-million addition and renovation project for Jackson County Central Schools in Jackson, Minn. The project entails the addition of a 5,250-square-foot Career and Technical Education (CTE) center and another 2,300 square feet of renovations to the district’s high school. The project is scheduled for completion in November 2023, according to a news release.

The district partnered with JLG Architects for the project’s design. The CTE center is set to feature a Construction and Automotive Lab, as well as renovations to the existing Metal Lab. The space will feature butcher-block counters and floors of polished concrete to accommodate a wide variety of career training opportunities.

“The CTE addition is intended to enhance and expand the amazing work that is already being done at JCC Schools,” said Superintendent Barry Schmidt. “Our students will be able to explore different pathways, which will help them prepare for how classes and careers fit together, as well as college. JCC is committed to helping students succeed in an ever-changing world.”

Kraus-Anderson previously worked with the district on a $35.4-million district bond referendum that local voters passed in November 2019. The referendum covered a broad spectrum of facility replacements and improvements, as well as a brand new middle school—Jackson Country Central Middle School, which cost $26 million and covers 84,000 square feet—completed in February 2023.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Auburn University Debuts $224M STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., recently opened its new $224-million STEM + Agricultural Sciences Complex, the largest research construction project in the university’s history, according to university news. The facility measures more than 265,000 square feet and brings six departments from the College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics together under one roof.

  • Phoenix High School Completes First Phase of Campus Renovations

    Metro Tech High School, part of the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) in Phoenix, Ariz., recently announced the completion of the first stage of a campus renovation project, according to a news release. The school reopened a series of public-facing business operations spaces including credit union, daycare, floral, cosmetology, and culinary services. It also includes new CTE learning spaces for the school’s nursing assistant, pharmacy, and sports medicine programs.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • 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.