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
| May 22, 2014
Big Data meets data centers – What the coming DCIM boom means to owners and Building Teams
The demand for sophisticated facility monitoring solutions has spurred a new market segment—data center infrastructure management (DCIM)—that is likely to impact the way data center projects are planned, designed, built, and operated.
| May 21, 2014
Evidence-based design practices for the palliative care environment
Palliative care strives to make patients comfortable as they are receiving treatment for a severe illness. As hospitals seek to avoid Affordable Care Act penalties for poor patient satisfaction, many expect this field to grow quickly.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 20, 2014
Using fire-rated glass in exterior applications
Fire-rated glazing and framing assemblies are just as beneficial on building exteriors as they are on the inside. But knowing how to select the correct fire-rated glass for exterior applications can be confusing. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 14, 2014
Prefab payback: Mortenson quantifies cost and schedule savings from prefabrication techniques
Value-based cost-benefit analysis of prefab approaches on the firm's 360-bed Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage Project shows significant savings for the Building Team.
| May 13, 2014
19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials
The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.
| May 11, 2014
Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.
| May 7, 2014
Design competition: $900,000 on the line in Las Vegas revitalization challenge
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman wants your economic development ideas for remaking four areas within the city, including the Cashman Center and the Las Vegas Medical District.
| May 3, 2014
Health system capital planning for the future: The benefits of master plan portfolio analysis and ambulatory market modeling
Money continues to be scarce, yet U.S. health systems need to invest and re-invest in their physical future. Healthcare facilities planning experts from CBRE Healthcare outline tools and strategies for identifying where to best allocate precious resources.
