Located in one of the Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, the brand new HealthPartners Neuroscience Center is currently the largest freestanding neuroscience facility in the upper Midwestern United States. Fitted with the latest and greatest in medical technology, this 130,000-square-foot facility is equipped to handle the needs of patients who come to the center seeking neurological treatment. Architects at Saint Paul-based firm BWBR worked closely with HealthPartners to create an architectural design that promoted transparency and visibility in an attempt to demystify neurological care.
Involved parties wanted to incorporate various design elements that would ultimately prove beneficial to the patients. For example, textured walls and large environmental graphic details were used because they are easier to memorize than numbers; to accommodate patient mobility, exam rooms in the building were designed to be spacious and are fitted with large monitors that display information regarding their neurological treatment.
Marney Farrell, the HealthPartners Neuroscience Center’s director of rehabilitation for outpatient services, described the project as a long journey, stating, “It was a long journey making sure every aspect of the building was patient-centric.”
The only way to accommodate a state-of-the-art neuroscience center that worked to help the community and the medical community was to ensure that the building’s exterior was equally impressive. The building’s façade is comprised of high-quality materials that boast a modern, high-tech appearance.
MG McGrath installed 2,200 square-feet of aluminum panels that were fabricated by Pure Freeform at the center’s main entry canopy and the parking garage entrance areas. The panels, which were finished in wood grain paint, were also coated in Lumiflon FEVE resin. FEVE-based resins offer coating systems durability, extraordinary weatherability, and outstanding color and gloss retention, allowing a paint to remain intact for decades.
Information and photos courtesy of BWBR and Dri-Design
Categories Architecture