Rockford, Minnesota
Completion: 2014
Project size: 1,200 SF addition + 14,000 SF remodel
Project cost: $8.5 million including building-wide mechanical upgrades
DeVetter Design Group worked with the Rockford Area School District to renovate their high school kitchen and student commons areas. This project was part of a larger district-wide infrastructure upgrade that included a complete renovation of their mechanical, electrical, and life safety systems.
The existing student commons area was buried deep within the 1960s building. It was dark with low ceilings and no access to daylight. Our design team relocated the kitchen into an adjacent underutilized shop area, and expanded the commons area into the existing kitchen and receiving areas.
The new commons location at the perimeter of the school gave the design team the opportunity to develop a large expanse of windows that floods the commons with north and east daylight. A new clerestory daylight monitor created more height in the commons and allowed daylight to penetrate the original building. The commons addition creates a new entrance to the activities center of the school and gives Rockford High School a new public face that reflects the excitement and vitality of the school district.