Mortenson plans first building at $6B MN Mayo Clinic complex

Dive Brief:

Mortenson has picked the site and completed the design for the first building in Discovery Square, a sub-district it is developing for the Mayo Clinic's $6 billion Destination Medical Center (DMC) in Rochester, MN, the company announced Thursday.
The 60,000-square-foot life science research building — designed by RSP Architects and HOK — will feature open workspaces and common areas to promote collaboration among building tenants. Situated near the Mayo Clinic campus, the building will feature high-performance systems and an orientation to maximize energy efficiency.
The DMC, according to Mortenson, is the largest public–private economic undertaking in state history. Construction on the first Discovery Square building is scheduled to begin later this year with completion in 2019.

Dive Insight:

The Mayo Clinic first announced Mortenson's involvement in the 20-year DMC initiative in September 2016. Discovery Square is one of six "sub-districts" that will make space for private-company research, commercial and product development and what the clinic calls an "urban bioresearch campus."

Mortenson already has experience in building a variety of medical facilities, including the $494 million Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND, which the company completed in February. The 1 million-square-foot, 11-story HKS-designed hospital will treat an estimated 4,200 patients each day and will provide services for nearly 200 medical specialties.

The company also contracted with the massive $485 million Mercyhealth hospital in Rockford, IL, in 2016. The largest project in the town's history, the complex will house a seven-story, 451,000-square-foot women's and children's hospital, a five-story medical specialty building and a Level 1 trauma center.

More recently, Mortenson lost a $275 million contract to build the new Trinity Health medical complex in Minot, ND, due to cost disputes. While cost disputes are common within the industry, Trinity's decision to terminate Mortenson's contract came as a surprise due to the company's experience in healthcare development.