College of Saint Benedict | St. Joseph, MN

Campus Renewal

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB), in St. Joseph, Minnesota, has a history that dates back to the 1800’s when Benedictine nuns, priests and monks settled in Central Minnesota to provide educational and spiritual guidance to the growing population of immigrants. The ever-evolving campus is a vibrant hub of activity in the area, with a mix of modern, mid-century and historic structures serving the students, faculty, staff, monastics and neighbors in the community.

In 2018, when CSB begin planning for a new administrative area that would re-utilize and connect a number of smaller historic buildings, iSpace Environments was selected to provide furnishings and architectural solutions for offices, break & lounge spaces, and common areas in the space, now called Schoenecker Commons.

This initial project proved to be the perfect introduction of iSpace’s capabilities and product selection as the CSB facilities team has returned to iSpace for furnishings in many other updates in spaces across the campus. Classrooms, lounges, collaboration spaces, the main library, computer labs, and new multi-purpose learning and social spaces have been outfitted with a wide range of iSpace solutions.

The Perfect Mix of Solutions

In administrative and faculty office spaces, height-adjustable desks from Teknion have become a standard, with comfortable soft seating smartly clustered nearby for ad hoc conversations and collaboration. In lounge learning spaces, Global modular & soft seating and Teknion Banqs & stools pair nicely with tables and chairs from Allermuir and StudioTK to provide a mix of individual and small group study areas. Stackable and nesting chairs from Teknion and Global are used alongside tables from OFS and others in classroom spaces; with Teknion Interpret Benching solutions and SitOnIt task seating supporting computer work stations. Larger social spaces offer a mix of soft modular sectionals like StudioTK’s Infinito with cafe style banquettes and hi-top tables perfect for eating or conversing.

With often quick turn-around requests, and needs for durable solutions to furnish a diverse collection of space types, CSB has found in iSpace Environments an adept partner that can be trusted to handle often large-scale projects while keeping an eye out for products that succinctly meet the needs of the community.

If you’re looking for a partner to provide furnishings, architectural or technology solutions for an educational setting, contact our Director of Sales, Dan White. 

Photos by Aaron Smith / Smitty’s Workshop.