Project category: New construction (completed May 2005)

Chief administrator: Mary Krueger, President and COO, (715) 393-2500

Firm: Hammel, Green and Abrahamson (HGA), (414) 278-3401

Design team: Kurt Spiering, AIA, ACHA, Principal; Frank Nemeth, AIA, Project Designer, Marshfield Clinic; Mark Debrauske, AIA, Project Designer, Saint Clare’s Hospital; Mike Torine, AIA, Project Architect, Saint Clare’s Hospital; Dave Janous, Medical Planner, Saint Clare’s Hospital; Paul Widlarz, AIA, Medical Planner, Marshfield Clinic

Photography: Feinknopf Photography; Perzel Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 451,000 (Hospital & MOB); 92,000 (Clinic)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $205 (Hospital & MOB); $164 (Clinic)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $92,500,000 (Hospital & MOB); $15,088,000 (Clinic)


In a strategic move to address the healthcare needs of North Central Wisconsin, two major providers have joined forces to build the $92.5 million Weston Regional Medical Center. The joint venture of Ministry Health Care and Marshfield Clinic retained our firm to design this innovative and versatile campus located in a suburb of Wausau.

Phase 1 of the project combines a 366,000-sq.-ft., 104-bed inpatient facility with Ministry Health Care’s 85,000-sq.-ft. Weston Office Building, providing primary care and administrative services. Additionally, the 92,000-sq.-ft. Marshfield Clinic Weston Center houses 50 physicians. These integrated elements provide comprehensive primary, specialty, and surgical care services.

The 56-acre site is located at the geographic hub of two extensive healthcare networks, where Ministry Health Care (12 hospitals/20 clinics) and Marshfield Clinic (41 clinics) cover most of northern Wisconsin. With its “timber country” character and geologic richness, the Weston site overlooks the scenic Wisconsin River Valley on a critical east-west corridor stretching from Eau Claire to Green Bay. The site master plan forecasts growth that will triple the Phase 1 program.


This healthcare complex, dedicated to achieving an optimal patient/staff experience, integrates a dual-track circulation system with a central diagnostic/treatment chassis. The simplicity of wayfinding and clarity of arrival options derive directly from the overall organization, with logical linkages and patterns for future growth.

The architecture uses regional materials—brick and stone—in an orderly, technologically innovative manner. The various wings, pavilions, and courtyards are unique yet share a cohesive detailing vocabulary.