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
![Career path learning spaces in Owatonna HIgh School](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Owatonna%20High%20School_Photo%203_Taken%20by%20Troy%20Thies.jpg)
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.
![Gymnasium at Owatonna High School](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Owatonna%20High%20School_Photo%204_Taken%20by%20Troy%20Thies.jpg)
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
| Oct 9, 2014
Regulations, demand will accelerate revenue from zero energy buildings, according to study
A new study by Navigant Research projects that public- and private-sector efforts to lower the carbon footprint of new and renovated commercial and residential structures will boost the annual revenue generated by commercial and residential zero energy buildings over the next 20 years by 122.5%, to $1.4 trillion.
| Sep 29, 2014
Living Building vs. LEED Platinum: Comparing the first costs and savings
Skanska USA's Steve Clem breaks down the costs and benefits of various ultra-green building standards and practices.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 4, 2014
Best of education design: 11 projects win AIA CAE architecture awards [slideshow]
The CAE Design Excellence Award honors educational facilities that the jury believes should serve as an example of a superb place in which to learn. Projects range from a design school in Maryland to an elementary school in Washington.
Sponsored | | Sep 4, 2014
Learning by design: Steel curtain wall system blends two school campuses
In this the new facility, middle school and high school classroom wings flank either side of the auditorium and media center. A sleek, glass-and-steel curtain wall joins them together, creating an efficient, shared space. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.