Owatonna Public Schools in Minnesota recently completed the $99 million, 317,000-sf Owatonna High School for Independent School District 761.
The school, which accommodates 1,600 students, has classroom and lab spaces supporting career pathways toward nursing, culinary arts, digital fabrication, science and engineering, publishing and digital content creation. Students can earn certificates, college credits, and career credentials, said Jeff Elstad, superintendent of Owatonna Publics Schools.
The project’s Building Team was led by Wold Architects & Engineers and the construction manager Kraus-Anderson. Federated Insurance, which is headquartered in Owatonna, donated $20 million plus the land for the new high school. Other private donors, contributing more than $4 million, included Mayo Clinic Health System, Viracon, Wenger Corporation and Wenger Foundation (Wenger’s name is on the school’s performing arts center), Gopher Sport, Life Fitness/Cybex, Owatonna Foundation, and 761 Foundation.
St. Paul-based Wold had been attached to this project for nearly a decade. “We are excited to see how this school realizes the district’s vision for education for many years to come, and becomes a role model for the area in high school education,” said Paul Aplikowski, a Partner at Wold, in a prepared statement.
School offers a sense of home
This school construction is part of a $112 million district bond referendum, which voters passed in November 2019. Construction began in May 2021 and was completed last August. The new building combines structural steel and precast concrete, with an exterior facade comprised of brick and metal panels along with a substantial amount of glazing to bring abundant natural light into the building.
The main curtain wall at the entrance to the building is 66 ft wide by 31 ft tall. Interior finishes include terrazzo flooring throughout the commons and fitness areas, prefinished interior panels in the auditorium, and numerous locations of tile, hardwood panels and metal panels covering the walls and column wraps.
The three-story school on 90 acres features a commons area that, according to Wold, evokes a town square. The classrooms are designed to provide a sense of home and place.
The campus includes a 3,451-seat football stadium, two multipurpose athletic fields and two grass fields, eight tennis courts, two softball fields, two baseball fields, a gymnasium, and an 825-seat auditorium. The campus also has four storage buildings for athletics, and 890 parking spaces.
“Owatonna Public Schools has been a fantastic partner during the entire construction process, where close communication and coordination was needed to meet all expectations,” said Michael Stenbeck, Kraus-Anderson’s project manager, in a prepared statement. “It has been amazing to witness jaws drop as students and the community walk into the new facility.”
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | May 30, 2023
K-12 school sector trends for 2023
Budgeting and political pressures aside, the K-12 school building sector continues to evolve. Security remains a primary objective, as does offering students more varied career options.
K-12 Schools | May 25, 2023
From net zero to net positive in K-12 schools
Perkins Eastman’s pursuit of healthy, net positive schools goes beyond environmental health; it targets all who work, teach, and learn inside them.
K-12 Schools | May 22, 2023
The revival of single-building K-12 schools
Schools that combine grades PK through 12 are suddenly not so uncommon. Education sector experts explain why.
K-12 Schools | May 17, 2023
Designing K-12 schools for students and safety
While bullying, mental health, and other acts of violence are all too common in schools today, designers have shown that smart and subtle preventive steps can make a big difference. Clark Nexsen’s Becky Brady shares how prevention and taking action at the design level can create safe and engaging learning environments.
K-12 Schools | May 12, 2023
In Virginia, a new high school building helps reimagine the experience for 1,600 students
In Virginia, the City of Alexandria recently celebrated the topping out of a new building for Alexandria City High School. When complete in 2025, the high-performance structure will accommodate 1,600 students.
Sustainability | Apr 20, 2023
13 trends, technologies, and strategies to expect in 2023
Biophilic design, microgrids, and decarbonization—these are three of the trends, technologies, and strategies IMEG’s market and service leaders believe are poised to have a growing impact on the built environment.
K-12 Schools | Apr 18, 2023
ASHRAE offers indoor air quality guide for schools
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has released a guide for educators, administrators, and school districts on indoor air quality. The guide can be used as a tool to discuss options to improve indoor air quality based on existing HVAC equipment, regional objectives, and available funding.
K-12 Schools | Apr 13, 2023
Creating a sense of place with multipurpose K-12 school buildings
Multipurpose buildings serve multiple program and functional requirements. The issue with many of these spaces is that they tend not to do any one thing well.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
Contractors | Apr 10, 2023
What makes prefabrication work? Factors every construction project should consider
There are many factors requiring careful consideration when determining whether a project is a good fit for prefabrication. JE Dunn’s Brian Burkett breaks down the most important considerations.
