Health Care Architecture Honor Roll
For the past 38 years, Minnesota Physician’s Health Care Architecture Honor Roll has recognized outstanding achievement in new facilities design. Medicaid funding cuts have put unprecedented financial strain on hospitals and clinics, ignoring how this affects many fundamental elements of delivering health care that requires a physical structure. Population growth and larger physical spaces to accommodate modern and constantly evolving technology, coupled with the natural process of buildings aging and becoming obsolete, requires ongoing new construction and remodeling. These considerations can be seen in many of the projects featured this year. Our thanks to all those who participated in the nomination and production process of presenting this year’s Honor Roll.
The Richard M. Schulze Surgical and Critical Care Center
The new 10-floor, 620,000-square foot building is the largest construction project in Allina Health’s history and is set to open in late August. The Schulze Building will have 30 state-of-the-art operating rooms and 190 private patient rooms; all intentionally designed with input from care teams to best support patients and those who care for them. The space also includes a 27,000-square-foot rooftop healing garden and a spacious cafeteria for patients, visitors and care teams to enjoy.
The space reflects a strong commitment to sustainability that is supported by broader campus improvements such as an upgraded utility plant, a rooftop solar garden and more. This project also benefits the local community by creating workforce opportunities for residents through the Community Workforce Program, a partnership with Mortenson.
Together, these efforts are expanding access to specialty care and building on a legacy of serving the south Minneapolis community for over 140 years.
Type of facility
Surgical and Clinical Care
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Allina Health
Architect/Interior design
HGA
Engineer
HGA
Contractor
Mortenson Construction
Completion date
Opening this August
Total cost
$1,000,000,000
Square feet
620,000 square feet of new construction plus 200,000 square feet of renovations
Sanford Orthopedic Hospital
A new orthopedic hospital expands Sanford Health’s existing surgical tower, adding 12 state-of-the-art operating rooms along with dedicated pre- and post-operative recovery spaces. The facility brings together advanced orthopedic services in a highly specialized environment focused on efficiency, comfort and coordinated care. The project also enhances convenience by integrating health care and hospitality. On the upper floors, the Highpoint Hotel features 56 guest rooms with panoramic views providing comfortable accommodations for patients, families and visitors who travel for treatment. The hotel includes an on-site restaurant, offering guests a convenient dining option and a welcoming space to gather.
The building’s glass curtain wall distinguishes it from surrounding campus facilities. Inside, cutting-edge technology, including South Dakota’s only intraoperative MRI, supports complex procedures and advances surgical precision. Patient-centered design elements throughout the facility emphasize comfort, healing and accessibility.
Type of facility
Hospital
Location
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Ownership organization
Sanford Health
Architect/Interior design
Architecture Incorporated Design Architect: HKS
Engineer
Dunham Associates
Contractor
Henry Carlson Construction
Completion date
December 2025
Total cost
$118,800,000
Square feet
161,000 new construction, 44,000 remodeled
HealthPartners Woodbury Specialty Center
This new two-story specialty center offers a wide range of specialty services that support the community’s evolving care needs. It brings together 13 medical specialties, including infusion, oncology, advanced imaging, rheumatology, urology, allergy, audiology, cardiology, ENT, GI clinic and endoscopy, as well as an on-site lab, all within an ambulatory surgery center and in one convenient location. Intuitive wayfinding is supported by clear signage and strategic space planning. Natural light is present throughout the facility, including staff spaces, promoting well-being and creating a bright, welcoming environment. The project included preliminary energy design assistance to ensure it identified and maximized energy and cost-saving strategies in the design. The facility is designed for horizontal expansion, allowing for efficient long-term growth. Its proximity to Stillwater provides increased access to care in a rapidly growing region.
Type of facility
Specialty Center
Location
Woodbury, Minnesota
Ownership organization
HealthPartners
Architect/Interior design
BWBR
Engineer
Dunham Associates
Contractor
Kraus-Anderson
Completion date
March 2025
Total cost
$53,615,000
Square feet
52,916
Southside Eastlake Clinic
The facility reimagines what a community health clinic can be, bringing medical, dental and vision care together under one roof to provide comprehensive, culturally responsive care in a medically underserved area. The design creates a shared, welcoming environment that reflects the diversity of the community it serves. Open, flexible spaces support integrated care, while a central stair connects all three levels and turns movement through the building into moments of visibility, interaction and connection. Framed views to Lake Street and access to daylight reinforce a sense of orientation and belonging, linking the clinic to the neighborhood beyond its walls. The design is guided by a “kaleidoscope” of three overlapping principles: trauma-informed, biophilic and place-based. Each contributes to an environment that feels calm, dignified and connected. By offering previously dispersed services and care teams in one location the clinic fosters greater collaboration, continuity of care and a stronger sense of connection for both staff and patients.
Type of facility
Community Health Center
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Classic Lake Consulting
Architect/Interior design
Perkins+Will
Engineer
Civil: Solution Blue
Structural: Palanisami and Associates
Contractor
Ryan Companies
Completion date
March 2025
Total cost
$20,000,000
Square feet
28,000
Alomere Pavilion
Uniting a hospital and three distinct clinics, Alomere Pavilion is advancing the organization’s vision to better serve the region’s rehabilitation needs, serving patients across 150 zip codes in central Minnesota. The new facility is efficiently designed, adjacent to the hospital. It optimizes existing parking, daylight for interior spaces and biophilic, healing environments, creating a welcoming destination for a complementary network of therapists. It features an adult gym with a walking track, a therapy pool with an adjustable floor, an underwater treadmill and dedicated areas for specialized care. Specialized space has invited collaboration with Heartland Orthopedic Specialists, providing patients with state-of-the-art surgical and nonsurgical orthopedic care in the areas of trauma, sports medicine and elective reconstructive surgery. The pavilion integrates seamlessly with Alomere’s existing facilities, providing individualized therapy programs and enabling an integrated team of therapists to maximize patient outcomes in a one-stop shop for passionate, personalized care.
Type of facility
Rehabilitation Care
Location
Alexandria, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Alomere Health
Architect/Interior design
JLG Architects
Engineer
Design Tree Engineering, Inc.
Contractor
BCI Construction
Completion date
December 2024
Total cost
$10,700,000
Square feet
28,500
Hennepin County Youth Stabilization Center
This project reimagined the Children’s Minnesota, Minneapolis emergency department’s upfront area as a highly responsive pediatric intake environment where fast-track care delivery, operational efficiency, patient experience and emotional reassurance work together from the very first moment of care. The renovation transformed the entrance vestibule, security station, registration, waiting, triage and exam areas, reorganizing how patients arrive, are evaluated and move through care. Intake and triage functions were restructured to improve throughput, increase capacity and support faster access to care. Expanded waiting areas, open sightlines and clearly organized intake zones created a more intuitive, family-centered experience. As “The Kid Experts,” Children’s Minnesota designed the environment as a comfortable, familiar extension of its care experience. Spatial organization, visibility, branding and graphics work together to support clarity and emotional reassurance for children and families during moments of urgency and uncertainty.
Type of facility
Inpatient adolescent mental health care
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Hennepin County
Architect/Interior design
Mohagen Hansen Architecture | Interiors
Engineer
Paulson & Clark Engineering
Contractor
Carlson-LaVine, Inc.
Completion date
December 2025
Total cost
$17,562,000
Square feet
26,000
Children’s Minnesota Emergency Department Renovation
This project presented a highly complex adaptive reuse challenge requiring seamless integration of clinical rigor, security and trauma-informed design within the constraints of an aging urban structure. It required reimagining three existing floors of an inner city building and introducing new outdoor space—transforming a dated facility into a forward-thinking, therapeutic environment for youth ages 9–17. It demanded retrofitting of an occupied, existing building not originally designed for behavioral health, aligning structural limitations with modern clinical, safety and operational standards. Balancing ligature-resistant detailing, clear sightlines and staff safety with a non-institutional, welcoming atmosphere required precision and innovation at every level of design and construction. Mechanical, electrical and life safety systems were upgraded and integrated to meet stringent codes without compromising the project’s design intent. The result is a facility defined by empathetic innovation. The design embeds clinical and security requirements within warm, durable materials and human-centered forms.
Type of facility
Hospital
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Children’s Minnesota
Architect/Interior design
GBBN Architects
Engineer
Dunham Associates
Contractor
McGough Construction
Completion date
December 2025
Total cost
$3,300,000
Square feet
6,170
CentraCare Plaza
This major expansion of CentraCare Plaza represents a transformative investment, increasing access to specialty care, enhancing the patient experience and meeting the growing demand for outpatient services across Central Minnesota. The project includes a 165,000-square-foot, three-story addition to the existing facility. It will house orthopedics, neurosciences, neurology and a MedSpa, while increasing ambulatory surgery capacity with six new operating rooms, including a hybrid operating room designed for complex procedures.
The expansion features nearly 60,000 square feet of new rehabilitation space for adult physical, occupational and speech therapies. It more than doubles therapy capacity, enhancing the ability to deliver advanced care closer to home. The facility is designed to improve care coordination and patient navigation. Complementary specialties will be grouped together – such as orthopedics with surgery and neurosciences with rehabilitation – and services will be co-located to streamline patient flow and create a more seamless experience.
Type of facility
Outpatient Surgical Center and Ambulatory Care Campus
Location
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Ownership organization
CentraCare Health System
Architect/Interior design
RSP Architects and Cannon Design
Engineer:
Dunham Associates
Contractor
McGough Construction
Completion date
June 2026
Total cost
$194,500,000
Square feet
225,000
Gillette Children’s Operating Room Renovation
This project is a five-phase transformation of seven operating rooms within an active pediatric hospital environment. Careful planning and sequencing enabled construction to occur in phases while maintaining uninterrupted surgical operations. The design features a highly coordinated surgical platform that prioritizes flexibility, clinical efficiency and long-term adaptability while navigating the complexities of working within leased space integrated with Regions Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center. Innovative mechanical and systems solutions support the project’s technical demands, including precise temperature and humidity control for pediatric procedures and integration with shared HVAC and life safety infrastructure. This work included replacing legacy pneumatic dampers with electrically powered systems on emergency power, improving resiliency and reducing operational disruptions. The result is a resilient, energy-efficient and future-ready surgical environment that reflects a seamless integration of architecture, engineering and clinical insight to advance pediatric patient care.
Type of facility
Hospital
Location
St. Paul, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Gillette Children’s Hospital
Architect/Interior design
BWBR
Engineer:
Dunham Associates
Contractor
McGough Construction
Completion date
Ongoing phases
Total cost
$6,700,000
Square feet
13,300
Astera Health/CentraCare Coborn Cancer Center
Less than a year after opening their new hospital, Astera Health partnered with HGA and Mortenson to build a new cancer center to expand their services in the region. Flexibility was a key driver throughout planning and design. Six exam rooms can expand to ten with a minor future addition. Likewise, the design accommodates growth from eight to 12 infusion bays. The on-stage/ off-stage exam room configuration allows for staff collaboration and an elevated patient experience. The cancer center addition has a separate entrance and presence on campus while still being contiguous with the public spaces of the new hospital for ease of access to amenities like dining, pharmacy and other support functions. circulation and expansion. A city street was vacated to accommodate the new addition. The simple design solution balances competing needs — a straightforward glass entry under a cantilevered overhang provides a clear public face for the hospital while fitting seamleral to the site. This transformation makes a lasting impact, enhancing both patient experience and the hospital’s role in the community.
Type of facility
Cancer center
Location
Wadena, Minnesota
Ownership organization
Astera Health
Architect/Interior design
HGA
Engineer:
HGA
Contractor
Mortonson Construction
Completion date
July 2025
Total cost
$19,000,000
Square feet
15,300
MORE STORIES IN THIS ISSUE
cover story one
The Health Care Workforce Shortage: Multiphasic problems and solutions
By Kenneth Botelho, DMSc, PA-C
cover story two
Emergency Department Design: Meeting a growing demand
