Location: 
Chaska, Minnesota
Total Square Feet: 129,284
Construction Period: Mar 2001 to Sept 2002

Construction Team
General Contractor: CM Construction Company, Inc. - 12215 Nicollet Avenue South, Burnsville, MN 55337
Structural Engineer: Ericksen Roed & Associates - 2550 University Avenue, #201-S, St. Paul, MN 55114
Electrical & Mechanical Engineer: Dunham Associates - 8200 Normandale Blvd., #500, Minneapolis, MN 55437
Landscape Architect: Dahlgren, Shardlow & Uban, Inc. - 300 First Avenue North, #210, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Cost Estimator: PPM - 1858 East Shore Drive, St. Paul, MN 55109

Bringing together students from diverse middle schools, Pioneer Ridge Freshmen Center fosters a strong social and academic bond among all district 9th graders allowing the students to nurture relationships and grow together for one significant, transitional year. 

The school is designed as a cool place that freshmen would want to spend time. Its distinctive colors, textures and shapes create a memorable learning context, especially the elliptically shaped media center that serves as the eye of knowledge with classrooms spiraling from it. 

Another gathering place, The Commons, offers a vortex of social interaction. The openness and connectedness of The Commons allows for a constant sense of community in both sight and sound. It also offers an outdoor courtyard overlooking a grove of trees and adjacent wetland.

Sensitive to the environment, the project was constructed using sustainable practices such as sourcing the majority of materials from local quarries, and building with long-lasting brick, precast concrete, metal panels and glass.

The building is situated tightly against the site’s western edge to make the most of its natural landscape. Through careful siting and approach, the center is presented as a gateway to the community both in structure and in spirit.


MANUFACTURERS/SUPPLIERS

DIV 03: Block: Anchor Block. 
DIV 07: Metal Panels: Centria; Membrane Roofing: Firestone.
DIV 08: Curtainwall: EFCO Corporation; Doors: Curries Manufacturing; Windows: Wausau Window & Wall Systems; Glass: Oldcastle Glass. 
DIV 09: Carpet: Collins & Aikman; Acoustical Treatment: Armstrong; Drywall: National Gypsum; Paint: Pratt & Lambert.
DIV 10: Toilet Partitions: Santana; Baby Changers: Koala.