WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. — After six years of planning, renovation and building, the state-of-the-art White Bear Lake High School has officially re-opened its doors to faculty, staff and students. Part of a $326-million districtwide facilities project, the expanded school merges modernity and practicality to bring White Bear Lake District’s vision of future-focused education to life.��

Community Voices����

In 2018, St. Paul, Minn.-based Wold Architects began working with White Bear Lake School District to conduct a facilities planning assessment. A 90-member planning committee composed of community members, staff members and students was created to review facilities-related ideas, priorities and solutions, focusing on capacity, location and general improvements. A final facilities plan was adopted by the district school board and was approved by voters in November 2019. ��

The previous White Bear Lake High School campus was split between lower and upper grades. For the past 40 years, 9th and 10th graders attended school at the North Campus, while 11th and 12th grader students studied at the South Campus four miles south. In collaboration with the district and Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson Construction, Wold Architects developed a plan to unite all students in a single facility. This involved significant additions and renovations to the existing 9th and 10th grade buildings, while also reimagining how students and faculty would experience education and teaching.��

“This project is about more than just a building — it’s about creating a future for our students that reflects the values and voices of our community,” said Wayne Kazmierczak, superintendent at White Bear Lake Area Schools. “By uniting all of our high school students and staff under one campus, we’ve created an environment where collaboration, growth and opportunity thrive. This school ensures that our students are not only prepared for today but are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow, and we’re proud to be in a space that honors our past while embracing the potential of our future.”��

The Campus Experience��

The project as a whole spans 285,000 square feet of renovated space and 375,000 square feet of new construction. The remodeled three-story building now holds a capacity of 3,200 students and accounts for anticipated enrollment growth. ��

The design creates open, flexible spaces that empower students to take charge of their educational experience. The malleable environment fosters a sense of innovation and separates the spaces from traditional classroom concepts. Interconnected classrooms, or Learning Studios, house flexible seating arrangements for students to create their daily environment and also house career pathway programming for students. Specialty labs are sprinkled throughout the building. ��

“The new Learning Studios, collaborative areas and dynamic seating options reflect a forward-thinking vision for how education can adapt to meet the needs of every student,” said Paul Aplikowski, partner at Wold Architects. “This school stands as a testament to the community’s commitment to fostering innovation, engagement and lifelong learning, and we are honored to have played a role in bringing that vision to life.”��

Athletics and physical fitness were heavily considered in the campus design, with the addition of multiple artificial turf athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts, and a 5,500-seat stadium with a ten-lane track. A five-station athletics field house with a 200-meter track sits to the side. Nearby, a student commons area was created for dining and learning to further unify the various grades. ��

A new 845-seat Performing Arts Center was the last campus addition. Inside the auditorium, Commercial Drywall Inc. installed curved walls and suspended sound clouds to ensure volume levels and sound remains controlled and pristine.��

Located near a residential area, the campus includes designated areas for vehicle traffic to maximize space and comply with Central Middle School, which shares the transportation area. ��

Sustainable Planning����

While the outdated facility was upgraded with modern amenities and spaces, the foundation and history of the building were kept intact, supporting sustainability by eliminating the need to completely tear down and rebuild. Several other intentional sustainability initiatives — focused on energy efficiency, waste reduction, recycling, water conservation — were considered throughout the planning and construction phases to maintain the district’s green goals. ��

“During the design process, we made construction decisions that would drive purposeful changes in our learning practices,” said Kazmierczak. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that the benefits we anticipated are truly being realized. Student feedback about the new spaces consistently highlights aspects we identified as best-case outcomes during planning and decision making. These future-focused spaces are meeting the needs of our current students and will continue to do so for decades to come.”��

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WALSH, Colo.—GH Phipps Construction Companies has commenced work on the Walsh School District’s newest PK-12 school. Personnel from the general contractor, the district as well as architect Wold Architects and Engineers were on hand for the event. The new school, priced at $34 million, is meant to replace an older educational building that stood on the same site. Much of the funding comes from a Colorado Department of Education BEST grant.

The 60,000-square-foot school will feature two gyms, an event space for performances, a library, vocational classrooms as well as various other amenities. Adequate room will also be set aside for after-hours and extra-curricular activities.

The existing elementary and high school buildings will remain on the jobsite during the ongoing construction work for the new school, which is anticipated to be completed in the spring of 2024.

“We have an extremely tight-knit community, and I am ecstatic to see this project come to life and serve our staff and students for years to come,” Corey Weiss, principal of Walsh Junior and Senior High School and superintendent of Walsh Public Schools, said at the groundbreaking. “This has been a longtime vision of ours, and we can’t wait to have a facility that sets our students up to truly soar.”

Josh Grenier, principal at Wold, said that the Colorado-based design firm was excited to work on a local community project such as this work for the Walsh School District.

“This building will support a diverse student population, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district to help bring their ideas to life,” Grenier said.

Wold was ranked in Building Design + Construction Giants 400 Report as the 6th largest national firm in the K-12 sector.

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SENECA, Ill.—Wold Architects and Engineers, which has offices in the Land of Lincoln, has celebrated the groundbreaking of a gym renovation at Seneca High School. When finished, the 8,000-square-foot physical education building will entail three courts, coaching offices, a sprinting track, concessions area as well as a storage room. A spring groundbreaking ceremony was held, attended not only by construction personnel but also members of the public and representatives of the Seneca High School Board of Education.

Wold is partnering with SMC Construction Services, which is serving as construction manager, on work on the exterior as well. This includes refinishing the adjacent roadway and adding extra spaces to allow for a total complement of nearly 2,000 parking spots.

“Seneca High School is a large source of pride within our community, and this new addition will provide greater opportunities for student, staff and community use,” Dan Stecken, superintendent at Seneca Township High School, said at the groundbreaking event. “It’s yet another step in building a foundation for student success, and will help prepare students for post-high school opportunities and overall wellness with continued Irish Pride.”

Added Alison Andrews, principal at Wold: “We’re proud to work with Seneca High School to create reimagined spaces for both students and staff to help accomplish their physical education and athletics goals for many years to come. As a local firm, we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district and help bring their ideas and school pride to life through this new addition.”

The redesigned gym is projected to be open next winter.

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WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn.—General contractor Kraus-Anderson has been hard at work on several educational projects for the White Bear Lake School District, located in the far northeastern suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The projects at the three schools, North Star Elementary, Birch Lake Elementary and Lakeaires Elementary, were all designed by Wold Architects and Engineers as parts of a long-range district improvement plan worth over $300 million, which is being funded thanks to a voter-approved school bond measure that was the largest in the state’s history.

North Star Elementary is a brand-new, 103,000-square-foot, two-story K-5 school, which came with a construction cost of nearly $29 million. North Star now offers a media center, cafeteria, conference rooms, modern classrooms as well as a storm shelter.

At Birch Lake Elementary, Wold and Kraus-Anderson expanded the campus by adding $3.6 million worth of classrooms, offices, an asphalt playground, as well as renovations to existing office space, lounges and common areas. Security and safety were also updated at Birch Lake.

Finally, the contractor and architect worked jointly on a 5,149-square-foot addition at Lakeaires Elementary that encompasses kitchen amenities, a new media center, and also renovations to the existing restrooms and learning commons. The cost for work at Lakeaires was $1.8 million.

Kraus-Anderson previously performed renovation work for the White Bear Lake School District that included six other projects, including work at Sunrise Middle School, Matoska International, and Lincoln, Vadnais Heights and Willow Lane Elementary Schools, as well as a district transportation building. The contractor will continue its work with the district, which is anticipated to run into the 2024-25 school year at the earliest.

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MANZANOLA, Colo.—A historic high school building in the southeast of the Centennial State has been given a 21st century facelift. The Manzanola Junior/Senior High School—built in 1925 according to designs by noted Colorado architect Temple Buell—has undergone renovations to its older structures as well as the addition of more educational space to accommodate increasing enrollment.

Furthermore, the century-old school building featured rather antiquated climate control, and was also in need of asbestos remediation and various repairs throughout. The Manzanola School District 3J was able to secure $31 million from a BEST grant in 2019 in order to fund the upgrades.

Colorado’s own Wold Architects and Engineers was hired to redesign Manzanola, and their plans were realized jointly by Nunn Construction and Vanir Construction Management. Part of the architectural redesign by Wold entailed reconfiguring the school around a two-story media center, which served as the proverbial heart of the school. Accordingly, learning spaces were configured to emanate out from that central location along two wings—which simultaneously respected Buell’s initial vision for the school.

The reimagined campus now boasts a “learning courtyard” as well as modern facilities for administrative use, physical education and science classes.

“As a local firm, we are honored to work with the Manzanola School District to revitalize its new community campus and honor the original structure designed by Buell,” Josh Grenier, principal at Wold Architects and Engineers, said in a recent statement. “This campus supports a diverse student population that deserves a safe, enriching learning environment, and we are proud to play a role in bringing this important facility to life.”

Added Nancy Westfall, Manzanola School District 3J Superintendent, “We have such a bright and deserving student population and couldn’t be more excited for them to experience the new community campus. These reimagined spaces provide a collaborative learning environment and a safe, secure facility that honors our rural community’s long, rich history.”

In addition to its offices in Colorado, Wold operates from locations in Tennessee, Illinois and Minnesota. The 2021 Building Design + Construction Giants 400 Report ranked the company number 6 on its annual national list of top architecture-engineering firms.

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MINNEAPOLIS—The Twin Cities’ Independent School District 728, which has previously partnered with construction manager Stahl, will be ramping up its collaboration on several upcoming projects as the district’s needs continue to expand right along with its student populace.

The district, which serves Elk River, Rogers, Otsego and Zimmerman, will be working with Stahl to make add-ons and renovations to Rogers High School, VandenBerge Middle School and Zimmerman Middle/High School. Those schools require upgrades to their physical education facilities and outdoor athletic fields.

Additionally, Stahl will facilitate improvements to the Elk River High School Stadium—and will also be constructing, from the ground up, the new Prairie View Middle School.

Stahl will be working in conjunction with designer Wold Architects and Engineers on the battery of school projects.

“This is a really exciting time to be working with the District, and Wold is looking forward to construction starting at the Elk River High School Stadium and VandenBerge Middle School projects with Stahl,” Robert Sehm, an associate at Wold Architect and Engineers, said in a recent statement. “After working closely with the District to develop a Master Plan that addresses needs District-wide, it is wonderful to have the community’s support to implement these projects. I really think the community is going to be very happy with the projects once they are done.”

In November of 2019, voters approved a $113 million bond referendum to fund the district’s construction projects.

“Stahl continues to be a wonderful partner as we work to educate, inspire, and empower all learners,” Dr. Daniel Bittman, superintendent of ISD 728, said in a recent statement. “Their commitment to collaboration, innovation, equity and really listening to community and school district feedback have led to much success.”

Stahl has worked with ISD 728 before on various other projects, including an addition project at Elk River High School to build out an early childcare facility.

“We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with ISD 728 as they grow and improve the functional use and maintenance of their facilities throughout the District,” Lane Schoening, vice president of Stahl, said in a statement. “Our teams have developed years of collaborative experience and are deeply aligned in our mission to build modernized, beautiful educational environments for the next generation of learners.”

Construction for Prairie View Middle School is scheduled to be ready in time for the 2022-23 school year. The remainder of the construction projects throughout the district are slated for the end of 2025.

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OWATONNA, Minn.—Minneapolis-based general contractor Kraus-Anderson has commenced the buildout phase of a new high school in Owatonna, a small city located approximately 60 miles south of the Twin Cities.

The $94 million high school will be three stories high and also include athletic fields and tennis courts, as well as a gymnasium, 825-seat auditorium, expansive cafeteria space and a football stadium. Furthermore, there will be a general commons area for gathering.

The 317,000-square-foot high school has been designed by the firm Wold Architects and Engineers, and it will be able to host 1,600 students when complete. The 90-acre site will also have parking for nearly 900 vehicles and maintenance and storage facilities for the athletic departments spread across the campus.

As designed by Wold, the new school’s materials will be a combination of precast concrete and structural steel. The building’s facade will encompass metal and brick panels whose “glazing” allows for a decent amount of natural light to penetrate into the building itself.

On the interior, terrazzo floors will be ubiquitous in the fitness and commons. Prefinished interior panels will be used to enhance the soundscape of the auditorium. Other internal elements include hardwood panels, tile and column wraps utilized to cover some of the walls.

The new high school is just one of a number of projects that have been funded by a $112 million district bond referendum passed in November 2019 by voters, according to the release. The new high school also represents a project Kraus-Anderson is undertaking as part of its “Summer Sprint” effort to get as much school construction completed in the Upper Midwest’s rather brief respite from cold and snow.

Construction will continue over the next few years, with the school expected to be ready by the summer of 2023, and thus open for students by the ensuing fall.

Kraus-Anderson’s work in the education sector over the past five years alone has amounted to over $1 billion. The firm has been in business since 1897.

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