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

  • Year-Round Schools Require Year-Round Indoor Air Quality Planning

    While many schools are out for the summer, year-round schools follow a more “balanced” schedule with shorter, more frequent breaks spaced throughout the school year. Even though this offers educational benefits, these facilities have less downtime for building maintenance. This can become an issue when facilities managers overlook the importance of routine HVAC maintenance and air duct cleaning services.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • 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.

  • ZeroEyes, Academic Innovators Partner to Provide Safety Solutions

    ZeroEyes, which produces a multi-analytics weapons detection and threat intelligence platform, recently announced a partnership with Academic Innovators, according to a news release.