Minnesota Autism Center gets 50,000-square-foot building expansion

Ryan Companies recently completed a two-story building expansion to the Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) school in Eagan, Minnesota.

The new 50,000-square-foot school sits directly west of MAC’s existing school building on 6.5 acres of land. It will be able to house an additional 150 students and 130 staff members. Opening it’s doors September 6, the school will offer education services and therapeutic support for children, adolescents, and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, or ASD.

To celebrate the project completion, MAC held a grand opening celebration August 11 with desserts, beverages, and testimonials by staff and families. Guests had the opportunity to tour the facility including the collegiate gymnasium, breakout spaces, media center and more.

The design team took on the challenge of accommodating the unique needs of MAC’s students while simultaneously providing the look, feel and function of a traditional high school.

RSP Architects and the Ryan construction team collaborated to efficiently design the facility to be first class quality yet still remain within an aggressive budget. Unique components of the facility include an outdoor green space with a baseball diamond and track with stadium lights, a gym, media room, and a unique gathering space connecting the gym and cafeteria wings to the classroom wing. In addition, the team incorporated a number of sustainable features including low VOC paints and adhesives, sourced FEC wood, water bottle filling stations, native landscape plantings, storm water filtration systems and occupancy sensors.

Ryan provided development, civil engineering, preconstruction and construction services. Other partners include RSP Architects and Ericksen Road & Associates.