Fast 50: Minneapolis architecture firm climbs the list 8 spots

Honoring its 50th anniversary, the Dahl Arts Center is embarking on campus expansion to elevate the thriving arts scene in Rapid City, SD. Within the design will be a charming outdoor pocket park on the south lawn, with groundwork anticipated to start in 2025. Renovation of the Center will enhance accessibility by creating a vibrant new entrance that connects the site’s two buildings. Join us at the Community Appreciation Night on October 24, from 5 PM to 8 PM, to see early renderings of this transformative project. Let’s come together to celebrate and support the arts!

At the Boy Scouts’ Camp Wilderness, JLG reimagined the existing Butler Health Center into a series of 14 non-gender, individual bathrooms alongside a health center with an exam room and staff sleeping area. JLG provided two options, one that reused the building on the existing footprint, the other with an addition with a two-bed ward and an expanded exam room.

As a part of a program Minneapolis Community & Technical College, JLG spoke with over 100 middle school students about exciting career paths in architecture, design, and emerging visualization technologies.

“The primary goal of Career and College Day is to demystify the often overwhelming thought of growing up, going to college and securing a job,” said Heidi Aldes, Dean of Enrollment Management at Minneapolis College, who wants middle school students to be excited about their future and understand the array of opportunities, especially in career and technical education, available to them. “Even if students are uncertain about what they want to do, we are here to walk alongside them as they figure out their next steps.”

In 2023, JLG’s Chayna Claeys, Dane Andersen, and Patrick Thibaudeau embarked on a wild adventure and field trip to Apple Valley, MN’s School of Environmental Studies, also known as the “Zoo School.” JLG’s team spoke to the school’s Green Literacy class about the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence measures and were blown away by the students’ knowledge. The students were already practicing these measures and were excited to learn more. We are so proud of how this two-year high school is raising a community of outstanding leaders, using project-based, environmental learning to create a more sustainable world!

In 2023, JLG’s Alissa Bretsch presented at the iNSPire by Omnitech event in Sioux Falls, SD. Speaking to high school girls regarding STEM-related careers, Alissa sparked inspiration by sharing the exciting world of architecture and design through virtual and augmented reality. The students were also given an opportunity to try out the HoloLens, touring 3D holographic imagery within a JLG-designed environment.

In the pursuit of spreading our joy for the art of architecture and imagination to future designers in the community, JLG’s Sioux Falls team, led by Catherine Dekkenga, spent five weeks visiting the John Harris Elementary School in Sioux Falls, SD. Each week we sat down with a classroom of fifth-grade students and walked them through the wild and wonderful adventure of designing their very own dream tree house.
To do this, we worked directly with the teacher to lead students through design process activities that included learning the design and presentation process, and meeting individually with each of the groups to discuss their unique ideas. Working together, we helped the students learn to collaborate and think critically about the function and aesthetics of their tree house designs. As a grand finale, all three groups presented their tree house design to a panel of JLG jurors, Whitney Donohue, Karst Way, and Jacob Ricke of Sioux Falls. The students’ ideas were artfully demonstrated through storytelling, physical models, 3D models, and floorplan drawings.

Within the JLGives Back program, the JLG team, led by Jonathan Holth and Fawn Behrens-Smith, AIA, worked pro bono with school leadership, the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, and the PTO to support the district in re-envisioning the Phoenix Elementary School playground. With a new playground on land donated from the City, a second and more central neighborhood playground was envisioned for the community. JLG ensured the playground was large enough to ease recess scheduling and be equitably designed for after-school neighborhood use. This effort was a true labor of love with support from multiple companies with roots in the district.

“We were incredibly impressed with JLG’s leadership during this process,” said Kevin Ohnstad, Principal at Phoenix Elementary. “Several JLG employees joined their talents at no cost while providing us with design guidance, community outreach, and completion of this amazing project. JLG was also influential in assisting us with the submission of a community block grant and collaboration with the City of Grand Forks.”

With the final details completed over the summer of 2022, the playground infused vibrant new life into the neighborhood. The sites accommodate up to three classes at a time and bring amenities equitably aligned with other new parks across the City — a large bank of swings, a new multi-person teeter totter, webbed climbing, and a zip line. “This was not a typical project for us, but more so a passion project that touched on all the reasons why we love what we do. It’s never just about buildings, it’s about fulfilling a need and making life better,” said Behrens-Smith. “At Phoenix Elementary, we were able to help transform the way their school functions while joyfully impacting students, faculty, and the entire neighborhood.”

Hearts & Hammers is on a mission to keep people in the homes they love. The organization assists low-income homeowners who are struggling with deteriorating home exteriors to the point of facing the possibility of losing their house. Hearts & Hammers provides free exterior restorations to keep that from happening. JLG’s Minneapolis office was joined by Greiner Construction to clear homeowner Pauline’s overgrown brush, refresh the landscaping, paint the garage trim, and build a new deck.