Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Wold Completes Geothermal Projects at Two Minnesota Schools

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/07/26

Key Takeaways

  • Mounds View Public Schools has completed geothermal expansions at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School, with a third project at Pinewood Elementary School expected to finish this summer as part of a districtwide sustainability initiative.
  • The geothermal systems use underground aquifer wells to improve heating and cooling efficiency, eliminate oil tanks, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and enhance long-term building performance while protecting water quality.
  • The three-school initiative is projected to save approximately $165,000 annually in operating costs, with energy savings comparable to the yearly electricity use of about 7,215 single-family homes, making the district a leader in geothermal adoption in Minnesota.

Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has completed two geothermal expansion projects for Mounds View Public Schools in Shoreview, Minn., according to a news release. The work at Highview Middle School and Irondale High School serves the district’s long-term goal of reducing energy costs and dependency on non-renewable fuel sources, as well as improving building performance. A third conversion project at Pinewood Elementary School is scheduled for completion this summer.

Geothermal systems take advantage of stable temperatures underground to regulate heating and cooling in buildings. The Mounds View Public Schools project uses underground wells “to safely transfer energy from the aquifer while protecting water quality, supplementing each school’s heating and cooling operations, reducing reliance on conventional systems and improving long-term efficiency,” the news release reports.

The project also involved the removal of oil tanks and transitioning toward cleaner and renewable energy sources. The projected energy savings across all three schools are roughly equivalent to the electricity use of 7,215 single-family homes per year, according to the release.

The initiative at the three schools combined is also projected to generate about $165,000 in operational savings annually.

The district is one of just a few in the state of Minnesota taking advantage of geothermal conversions, and Irondale High School is one of the largest schools in the state to adopt the method.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • 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.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • Photo courtesy of Kraus-Anderson

    Concordia College Completes Memorial Auditorium Renovations

    Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., recently completed a $2.5-million renovation project to Memorial Auditorium, a news release reports. The college partnered with Kraus-Anderson for the project’s construction and ICON Architectural Group for its design.