Project category: New construction (completed August 2006)

Chief administrator: Peter Person, Chief Executive Officer, (218) 786-3162

Firm: HKS, Inc., (214) 969-5599

Design team: Robert Robbins, AIA, Senior Project Designer; Roy Gunsolus, AIA, Project Manager; Mike Mamer, AIA, Project Architect; David Urling, Senior Interior Designer (HKS, Inc.); Steve Orscheln, Project Manager, Electrical (ccrd partners); Daniel Murphy, PE, Structural Engineer (Meyer, Borgman and Johnson, Inc.)

Photography: Blake Marvin; Ed LaCasse, LaCasse Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 245,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $257

Total construction cost (excluding land): $63,000,000

The St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic First Street Building embraces a healing healthcare setting inside and out. The four-story, 225,000-sq.-ft. addition houses a cancer center, digestive health center, diagnostic imaging center/laboratory, and pediatric, internal medicine, and OB/GYN clinics. A donor-sponsored resource library in the cancer center offers reference materials for patient and family use.

The clinic is one of the nation’s first LEED Gold-certified healthcare facilities. The building, located on an urban brownfield site overlooking Lake Superior, incorporates many green design concepts ranging from indoor air quality to recycling construction waste.

Designers used paints, adhesives, stains, and finishes that are free of or very low in VOCs. Interior furnishings were required to meet GREENGUARD certification. Interior finishes containing polyvinyl chloride have been replaced where possible with more environmentally friendly materials. Linoleum flooring made from renewable materials was used in lieu of vinyl composition tile.

The wood veneers were subject to the Forest Stewardship Council’s certification process, promoting responsible forest management. A 52% reduction in water usage is achieved through such measures as the use of low-flow fixtures and no-irrigation landscaping. Energy consumption is reduced by 22% in part through the design of exterior walls to insulate against the harsh northern climate, as well as the use of sensor-controlled lighting and shading systems.

The building’s exterior expression reflects the hospital’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Cancer treatment, the building’s largest component, depends on advanced treatments and new discoveries. The building’s crisp, contemporary forms reflect that progressive attitude.