Project category: New construction (completed July 2005)

Chief administrator: Gerald Carl, CEO, (507) 283-2321

Firm: TSP, Inc., (605) 336-1160

Design team: Kent Larsen, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Larry Crane, AIA, Architect (TSP, Inc.); Rick Peterson, Healthcare Planner (Ramseur-Peterson); Matt Gibbs, Medical Equipment Planner (CompPlan Associates); Henry “Chip” Carlson, Design-Builder (Henry Carlson Company)

Photography: Ken Petersen

Total building area (sq. ft.): 99,500

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $157

Total construction cost (excluding land): $15,600,000

Dedication to providing facility design for rural healthcare facilities that provide the highest quality of care, safety, and convenience for patients and their communities resulted in this new, 99,500-sq.-ft., $15.6 million Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center. The design addressed key healthcare trends, including patient-focused care, sustainable design, and future expansion while meeting Critical Access Hospital requirements and incorporating a local 10-physician family-practice clinic with exam rooms for as many as 12 specialty physicians.

A patient-focused care environment was achieved through functional planning, color, and daylighting techniques. To create a serene space, ambient noise was eliminated using private patient rooms, limited overhead paging, separation of public spaces from patient spaces, and a meditation chapel. Point-of-care nursing occurs through decentralized nursing stations, providing quicker patient care and higher satisfaction ratings. Wayfinding techniques eased circulation issues for patients, family, and staff.

Sustainable design elements throughout the site included native plant materials, low-maintenance design principles, a water-retention pond, local stone, and prairie grasses. All departments were designed to expand without disruption. Planned growth areas were identified to sustain a cohesive campus.


When a team approach is used for design and construction, healthcare facilities are best able to serve the community, implement projects on time and on budget, and create greater efficiency, flexibility, and productivity. A successful process must demonstrate a holistic project approach, in which key stakeholders are involved from inception to completion. Key stakeholders include anyone who is impacted by the outcome, including owners, architects, engineers, contractors, doctors, nurses, patients, and community members.

The Sioux Valley Luverne Medical Center was awarded Honorable Mention in the New Construction Category for the 2006 Vista Award.