Moorhead Public Schools Career Academy
Moorhead, Minnesota
Design team
Brian Berg, John Holten (Zerr Berg Architects); Chad Hansen (Martin Mechanical Design); Greg Teague (MBN Engineering)
In 2019, Moorhead district voters, with an overwhelming 70% support rate, approved a bond referendum for a new high school and separate career academy. The district was searching for an economical way to construct classroom and lab spaces for vocational trades. The Career Academy was born out of necessity but has evolved into a facility that houses much more than vocational trades. The building has grown to house business, 3D visual arts and the district’s alternative high school.
An early hurdle that the design team faced was determining how to convert a retail building with unlimited area into school space. The facility was divided into four fire building areas. By doing so, access to the different areas can be controlled at all times of the day and after hours. Conditioning was converted from independent, single-zone rooftop units into a centralized boiler and chiller plant. These plants push conditioned fluid to six different mechanical rooms across the building. By creating these distinct conditioning areas, the design team ensured that gas fumes from the auto lab would not be smelled throughout the building.
The two key drivers of the design were learning on display and ultimate flexibility for adapting to future education needs. Both goals were accomplished with 49 glazed overhead doors. These connect lab spaces and other large areas to the extra-wide loop circulation hallway. The student commons and multipurpose spaces are connected by two overhead doors large enough to pull a semitruck and trailer into the heart of the school for demonstrations and presentations. These doors also give passersby a view of the learning and educational pursuits taking place within the classrooms.
Additional Information
Capacity
750
Cost per Sq Ft
$142.00
Featured in
2023 Architectural Portfolio
Category
Adaptive Reuse
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