Destination Medical Center in Rochester, Minn., is a 20-year economic development initiative that, at $5.6 billion, is the largest in Minnesota’s history. The Mayo Clinic will account for $3.5 billion of that investment, with the state kicking in $585 million and private investors $2.1 billion.
Among this initiative’s six sub districts will be an urban research campus called Discovery Square, a 16-block mixed-use neighborhood for entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and established businesses with Mayo Clinic adding more than 2 million sf of collaborative space.
Among the five projects at Discovery Square that have either been completed or proposed is the so-called Mortenson Project, a highly connected, urban life science ecosystem of mixed uses, including life science businesses, start-ups and spin-offs, retail, hotel, commercial development and residential areas, anchored by Mayo Clinic.
M.A. Mortenson, the construction and real estate development firm, is the developer of this project, and late last month revealed the design and location for its first building, which is scheduled to break ground later this year with a target completion date of 2019.
The 60,000-plus-sf facility will be located at the corner of 4th Street SW and 2nd Avenue, atop a surface parking lot near the Mayo Clinic and the Gonda Building, and adjacent to the hospital’s Guggenheim, Hilton, and Stabile buildings. The building will be within walking distance of Rochester’s thriving Historic Southwest neighborhood of restaurants and retail.
A spokesperson for Mortenson tells BD+C that the building could be scaled up to 100,000 sf, if tenant demand warrants.
To clear the way for this initial Discovery Square project, Mayo Clinic's 428 Building, the former Vine Funeral Home, at 428 Third Ave. SW will be demolished, Jeremy Jacobs, Mortenson’s development executive, told the Rochester Post Bulletin
The building’s integrated design—by Minneapolis-based RSP Architects and St. Louis-based HOK—will feature flexible, open workspaces that allow tenants to adapt and expand as the life sciences industry evolves. The building’s common spaces will be centralized to promote tenant interaction.
The 16-block Discovery Square would add 2 million sf of commercial and residential space over the next two decades, and probably replace some of the structures there now. Image: Rochester Post Bulletin
“Development of Discovery Square is a major step forward for the world of life science research,” says Eli Hoisington, AIA, LEED AP, HOK’s design principal. “Discovery Square will be a bridge to the mission of Mayo Clinic. The first phase will provide a new ‘address’ for the future of life science, research, education, technology, and innovation.”
Mortenson’s building will within the proximity of Collider, a coworking hub that will also offer monthly events and educational opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Colliers is serving as the leasing agent and will oversee tenant recruitment in partnership with Mortenson and the DMC Economic Development Agency.
“The goal of Discovery Square is to accelerate the translation of medical research from bench to bedside,” says Mortenson’s Jacobs. “Colliers’ expertise will help us bring together the right mix of entrepreneurs and industry leaders in life science research, education, technology and innovation to achieve this noble end.”
Related Stories
| Sep 12, 2011
Living Buildings: Are AEC Firms up to the Challenge?
Modular Architecture > You’ve done a LEED Gold or two, maybe even a LEED Platinum. But are you and your firm ready to take on the Living Building Challenge? Think twice before you say yes.
| May 18, 2011
New center provides home to medical specialties
Construction has begun on the 150,000-sf Medical Arts Pavilion at the University Medical Center in Princeton, N.J.
| May 5, 2011
Hospitals launch quiet campaigns to drown out noise of modern medicine
Worldwide, sound levels inside hospitals average 72 decibels during the day and 60 decibels at night, which far exceeds the standard of 40 decibels or less, set by the World Health Organization. The culprit: modern medicine. In response, hospitals throughout Illinois and the U.S. are launching "quiet campaigns" that include eliminating intercom paging, replacing metal trash cans, installing sound-absorbing flooring and paneling, and dimming lights at night to remind staff to keep their voices down.
| Apr 14, 2011
USGBC debuts LEED for Healthcare
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduces its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.
| Apr 13, 2011
Virginia hospital’s prescription for green construction: LEED Gold
Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va., is the commonwealth’s first inpatient healthcare facility to earn LEED Gold. The 630,000-sf facility was designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with commissioning consultant SSRCx, both of Nashville.
| Apr 12, 2011
Mental hospital in Boston redeveloped as healthcare complex
An abandoned state mental health facility in Boston’s prestigious Longwood Medical Area is being transformed into the Mass Mental Health Center, a four-building mixed-use complex that includes a mental health day hospital, a clinical and office building, a medical research facility for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a residential facility.
| Mar 17, 2011
Perkins Eastman launches The Green House prototype design package
Design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to join The Green House project and NCB Capital Impact in announcing the launch of The Green House Prototype Design Package. The Prototype will help providers develop small home senior living communities with greater efficiency and cost savings—all to the standards of care developed by The Green House project.
