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The First NetZero Building for the Minnesota State University Network!
Winona, Minnesota, USA
Interdisciplinary Learning, Regrounded in Place
Winona State University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Engagement, and Learning (CICEL), currently with a completed schematic design and developed in collaboration with the Perkins&Will Minneapolis studio, replaces two outdated buildings with a single academic hub for Mathematics, Computer Science, Art, and student services. The project consolidates 75,000 square feet into a compact, high-performance footprint that strengthens interdisciplinary learning while clarifying the campus edge and arrival experience.
By concentrating program into one building, CICEL frees approximately one acre for restored prairie landscape and outdoor learning environments—reestablishing native ecology, expanding informal gathering space, and reconnecting campus life to place.
A hybrid steel and mass-timber structure supports low-carbon performance, anchored by a high-efficiency solar roof that advances net-zero energy goals and frames a new campus gateway overlooking the bluffs.
Winona State University
Architecture, Regenerative Design, Sustainable Systems Integration, Community Engagement
Winona, Minnesota, USA
77,000 SF new construction, 1 acre reclaimed greenspace
In-Planning / Estimated Occupancy Before 2030
Upper Midwest – Prairie and Bluff Ecosystem
Concept & Parti
A Building that Connects
CICEL organizes classrooms along a solid northern limestone bar for glare-free daylight, with southern mass timber social spaces that bring warmth, openness, and flexibility. A generous central corridor threads these zones together as a communal spine, while integrated sustainable systems — solar canopy, geothermal, low-carbon materials, and stormwater management — enhance both ecological performance and occupant well-being. This parti expresses clarity, connection, and a balance between rigorous learning spaces and vibrant community life.
A More Connected Campus
CECIL replaces two outdated, unsalvageable buildings with a single multidisciplinary hub that brings together computer science, mathematics, art, and student services under one roof. By consolidating these programs into a flexible, collaborative environment, the project strengthens connections across disciplines while freeing the former building sites to create a much-needed campus quad. Framed by generous landscaping, the new open space establishes a more welcoming, intuitive arrival sequence and a stronger front door for the university.
A Living Landscape
Replacing an existing street, the campus landscape transforms paved infrastructure into a living corridor of native prairie, seasonal perennials, and bioswales that celebrate Missouri’s ecological character while managing stormwater naturally. A rewilded walking trail connects buildings through a sequence of interpretive gardens, educational signage, and exposed geological features, creating an immersive outdoor learning experience that enriches habitat diversity, supports pollinators and native wildlife, moderates the campus microclimate through expanded tree canopy and vegetation, and invites daily exploration. Together with flexible lawns, intuitive circulation, and a welcoming central courtyard, the landscape becomes both connective tissue and living classroom—strengthening the relationship between people, place, and the natural systems that sustain them.
“CICEL is more than a new building on campus. It’s an opportunity for active-learning classrooms, high-tech studios and labs, and innovative spaces. This project improves WSU’s educational experience while furthering our commitment to sustainability and affordability.”
— Winona State University
Designed with the people who use it every day
From the beginning, CICEL was shaped through direct collaboration with students, faculty, and campus staff. Design sessions focused on how the building is actually used—how students move, where they pause, how teaching shifts between lecture, collaboration, and independent work. What emerged is a building that reflects daily academic life: flexible without being vague, social without being chaotic, and grounded in real patterns of learning.
“This project represents the future of learning at Winona State—bringing together disciplines, people, and place in an environment designed to foster collaboration, sustainability, and long-term value.”
— Winona State University Project Vision
Let’s shape the next chapter of your campus.
The best campuses aren’t defined by a single building. They’re shaped by a shared vision—one that connects learning, research, student life, and the surrounding community into a place where people want to be.
Whether you’re reimagining a campus master plan, transforming an academic building, creating new student spaces, or planning for long-term resilience, we partner with institutions to uncover opportunities that are rooted in place, guided by evidence, and designed to serve generations to come.
Together, we can create learning environments that inspire curiosity, strengthen community, and deliver lasting value.
