In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consolidates Essentia Health’s healthcare services under one roof.
At about 1 million sf spanning two city blocks, St. Mary’s overlooks Lake Superior, providing views on almost every floor of the world’s largest freshwater lake. All of the hospital’s inpatient rooms enjoy floor-to-ceiling views of the lake or the surrounding hillside. The dining commons and rooftop garden also offer views of Lake Superior.
While the exterior façade’s lower levels resemble the brownstone homes and businesses in downtown Duluth, the glass façade of the upper levels and patient tower evokes the neighboring lake. The building’s fritted glass also reduces solar heat gain inside.
The hospital’s interior aims to eschew traditional clinical design by embracing vibrant colors and nature to aid the healing process. Each floor’s interior design takes inspiration from a natural landscape in Duluth.
The design team constructed and tested a full-scale mockup of the building envelope to detect any air or moisture infiltration that could affect energy performance and indoor air quality. As a result, the team achieved a 24% reduction in energy consumption and a 26% reduction in energy costs.
As part of the project’s sustainability measures, almost 1 million sf of the building’s acoustic ceiling panels were manufactured about a half-hour away, reducing travel time and greenhouse gas emissions. EwingCole also selected a nearby single-source manufacturer of the custom glazing system, decreasing transportation emissions. And the team reduced the building’s embodied carbon by replacing Portland cement with cement substitutes.
The hospital’s narrow, aerodynamic form eliminates wind turbulence around the entrances and rest areas, minimizes its impact on views to and from the lake, and limits its impact on bird migration. In addition, the design team’s early wind modeling enabled it to refine the structural system so that it required less steel.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Essentia Health
Design architect: EwingCole
Architect of record: EwingCole and LHB
MEP and structural engineer: EwingCole
General contractor: McGough
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%206.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%2011.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%205.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%20100.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%204.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%209.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%203.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%2067.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%202.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region%207.jpeg)
![](/sites/default/files/inline-images/In%20Duluth%2C%20Minn.%2C%20the%20new%C2%A0St.%20Mary%E2%80%99s%20Medical%20Center%2C%20designed%20by%20EwingCole%2C%C2%A0is%20now%20the%20largest%20healthcare%20facility%20in%20the%20region.jpeg)
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 6, 2018
French 'Alzheimer’s Village' designed to resemble a medieval bastide
The new facility will provide research on a new way of treating Alzheimer’s patients.
Healthcare Facilities | May 29, 2018
Will telemedicine change the face of healthcare architecture?
Telemedicine is a broad term that covers many aspects and mediums of care, but primarily it refers to the use of video monitors to allow a virtual face to face consultation to take place.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Healthcare Facilities | May 24, 2018
The design of the new Omaha VA Ambulatory Care Center incorporates veteran symbolism throughout the building
Leo A Daly designed the facility.
Building Team Awards | May 17, 2018
Patient priorities: Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center
Gold Award: Cleveland Clinic’s new cancer center is a transparent, collaborative hub for improved patient experiences and enhanced communication with caregivers.
Healthcare Facilities | May 7, 2018
Gulf Coast Medical Center to receive 365,700-sf extension and 48,500-sf renovation
HKS is designing the project and Skanska USA will build it.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 30, 2018
Child-specific mental health center features design elements to support healing
CannonDesign designed the project.
Contractors | Apr 26, 2018
At Boston University’s dental school, ‘under construction’ won’t mean ‘closed for business’
A major renovation and addition are scheduled to minimize operational disruption.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 24, 2018
The ins and outs of inmate healthcare
Research has shown that inmates are getting older and sicker.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 20, 2018
Revamping pharmacies for public safety and compliance
Released in February 2016, the latest standards of the United States Pharmacopeia’s Chapter 800 Pharmaceutical Compounding—Sterile Preparations builds on earlier regulations set forth by USP 797.