One of the first orders of business was to reroute the building’s main entrance. The old Shriners facility welcomed staff and patients into a large 2-story atrium from a little-used drop-off entry. The team determined that being led into a cavernous, hall-like room with poor acoustics coming from the parking garage could prove overwhelming, especially for visitors with sensory sensitivities. The solution, in part, included routing a pathway from the parking garage to a new entryway just north of the atrium, which feeds into a more intimate waiting space that looks out onto a wooded area. From there, visitors can access all areas with ease.
Although no longer suit- able as a primary gateway, the atrium’s inherent value did not go unnoticed. Double-height windows already provided the space with ample natural light. HGA introduced a range of kid-friendly alcoves and open seating areas fitted with warm textures, natural earth tones and pops of color. This transformation of the former main reception area into a hospitable and playful space for children and their families also yielded a collaborative clinical workspace with an aesthetic that feels anything but clinical in nature.
Being a facility that works with young children and adolescents, incorporating a sense of play throughout the building was important. A variety of differently sized energetic spaces and play areas for children feature colorful furnishings, books and games. Newly commissioned art murals adorn each floor as tributes to MIDB’s surrounding woodlands and setting along the Mississippi River. Having dedicated spaces for calm and respite was critical, as well. An enclosed Calm Room, designed with muted tones, was added adjacent to larger waiting areas as an amenity for visitors who prefer less stimulation. Additionally, positioned throughout MIDB’s public areas are a series of comfortable nooks for children to climb into whenever they need a quiet moment to themselves.
Ensuring that natural light penetrated as many communal and private spaces as possible proved an interesting design challenge. Built as a hospital, Shriners was constructed with deep floor plates (a common feature for this building type), thus limiting the amount of natural light in the interior spaces. To compensate, a large portion of the ground-floor ceiling was removed in a section directly underneath an existing second-floor skylight, creating a vertical corridor of natural light and connecting diverse workspaces on both floors. Additionally, drywall on the upper floor was removed to reveal existing spandrel windows, and enclosed fire stairs were opened up and converted into “communicating stairs” between the floors.
TRANSFORMING MORE THAN JUST A BUILDING
Wear and tear had plagued the old Shriners building for the better part of three decades. Maintenance concerns with the exterior roofing and window sealants had to be addressed, as did performance and code issues with the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Coupled with these systems and structural upgrades, a ground-floor auditorium was removed and partially infilled to grade level to become an open workspace; a second-floor swimming pool was infilled and sound- absorbing acoustic baffles were installed on the ceiling to become an office workspace for MIDB’s research department; and the former 10-room hotel was converted into an annex building fitted with all new mechanical systems for additional collaboration and community space.
Beyond the facility’s physical transformation, MIDB’s design-build team of Knutson Construction, HGA and the University of Minnesota established from the start that this project would abide by strict standards of sustainability, equity and wellness.
When it comes to operating a healthy building that actively supports the health and wellness of its staff, patients, study participants, associated family members and other members of the community, simply moving into a building with a leaky roof, drafty windows and enclosed spaces with no natural light just wasn’t going to cut it.
To that end, approaching the retrofit to meet the state of Minnesota’s B3 (Building, Benchmarks & Beyond) guidelines, as well as the principles of the American Institute of Architects Framework for Design Excellence, meant committing to a set of heightened performance standards that are outside the norm.
From the early stages of site assessment and pre-design, through planning, construction, and finally daily operations and maintenance, MIDB has continuously committed to tracking and achieving optimal facility performance metrics for materials and waste, water and energy usage, indoor environmental quality and more.
HGA set out to do more than convert a hospital into a clinical and research institute; the firm set out to create a sustainable and accessible asset for the community.
THE B3 GUIDELINES
Minnesota’s B3 (Buildings, Benchmarks & Beyond) program was established in 2002 as a sustainable design framework and benchmarking tool related to site, water, energy, indoor environment, materials and waste. Adoption of B3 is required for all new buildings or renovations that receive general obligation bond funding from the state of Minnesota. (The program can also be adopted voluntarily for non-bond-funded projects.) The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain was designed to meet B3 Version 3.1.
AIA FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN EXCELLENCE
In 2019, the American Institute of Architects formally adopted its Framework for Design Excellence (formerly the COTE Top Ten Measures). The framework is made up of 10 interrelated principles
for architects to consider relative to a project’s size, context and intended use. When implemented together, the principles are designed to achieve a zero-carbon, equitable, resilient and healthy built environment. The Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain’s design considered the framework principles.
PHOTOS: Corey Gaffer unless otherwise noted
Retrofit Team
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Knutson Construction
ARCHITECT, INTERIOR DESIGNER, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEER, LIGHTING DESIGNER AND TECHNOLOGY: HGA
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Palanisami & Associates Inc.
CIVIL ENGINEER: EVS
ROOFING CONTRACTOR: Central Roofing Co.
ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS: A partnership of HGA and HJNovak Design
MATERIALS
3D SCANNING TECHNOLOGY: Matterport
EPDM ROOF SYSTEM: Johns Manville
ACOUSTICAL CEILING TILE: USG and Rulon International
CARPET: Shaw Contract and Interface
RESILIENT FLOORING: Shaw Contract, Flexco, Nora by Interface and Lonseal
TERRAZZO: Terrazzo & Marble Supply Cos.
PLASTIC LAMINATE: Panolam, Formica, Wilsonart and Arborite
SOLID SURFACE: Corian
TEXTURED PANELING: 3form and Soelberg
BACKLIT ART PANELS: Vara Kamin’s Impressions of Light Inc.
DECORATIVE GLASS: Skyline Design, Forms + Surfaces, and Nathan Allan Class Studios
FURNITURE: Fluid, Atmosphere Commercial Interiors, Henricksen, KI, Intereum, Innovative Office Solutions, Wood from the Hood and General Office Products