Cathedral High School STEAM Addition

St. Cloud, Minnesota

Firm

ATSR Planners/Architects/Engineers

Client

Cathedral High School

Area

38,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$14,600,000

Completion Date

08/2020

Corey Gaffer Photography

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Design Team
Dean S. Beeninga, Peter Lacey, Kara Rise, Blayne Parkos, Nick Achina

A STEAM addition was added to an existing urban campus. The addition made a flowing connection between two existing buildings set at multiple levels. The double-story commons is the new hub of the building; it is filled with natural light and takes advantage of beautiful views overlooking the nearby Mississippi River.

Students can work collaboratively in small group rooms or break out into a variety of seating arrangements in the commons and overlooking balcony. Transparency and overhead doors create connections between classrooms and into the commons.

The addition has five science labs, two art studios, maker space, classrooms, administration, student commons, staff lounge, and school chapel. Math classrooms are nearby in the existing building.

ATSR provided full-service architectural, mechanical, electrical, technology, interior design, and construction administration services. During the planning phase, the design team gave tours of existing schools to test current concepts in educational design with the staff, students, and overseeing committee. Interactive computer models were used to develop and visualize the design options, receive feedback from the community and gauge direction.