Healthcare Design - August 2024 - 46

The building features
entrances for inpatient,
emergency, and
outpatient services at
different levels, with
the inpatient entry at
the highest area on
the site.
AWARD OF MERIT
COMMUNITY TIES
Essentia Health's St. Mary's Medical Center
maximizes its sloping site and lakeside location to
connect to the city's culture and residents
By Anne DiNardo
OPENED IN JULY 2023, Essentia Health's new St. Mary's Medical Center
comprises new construction and renovated space of existing facilities to
deliver a replacement hospital and outpatient clinics. Before bringing the
facility to Lake Superior's banks in Duluth, Minn., the project team had
to overcome a variety of site challenges, including a 100-foot elevation
change, multiple entrances, and the need to connect with two separate, existing
buildings and two bisecting streets.
Inside, the 930,000-square-foot community hospital, submitted to the
Design Showcase by EwingCole (Philadelphia), integrates amenity spaces
such as dining, retail, and community rooms with an interior aesthetic inspired
by the cultural and natural landscape of Duluth. Additionally, the
interiors feature daylighting and views to the outdoors, while a palette of
vibrant colors and bright whites helps mitigate the effects of the region's
gray winter months. Here, Saul Jabbawy, regional director of design at EwingCole,
talks about creating a new medical destination for the city.
Healthcare Design: How does the architecture reflect the historic
architecture of Duluth in a modern, cutting-edge facility?
Saul Jabbawy: At the base of the podium, which visually affects the
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pedestrian experience, the design incorporated
striated masonry volumes, articulated with
deep openings and sunshades that recall the
texture and visual complexity of the Victorian
architecture of Superior Street. The masonry
volume rests on a base of large-scale tiles that
recall the black volcanic stone that clads many
area buildings. Wood-look mullions, canopies,
retaining walls, and gardens add additional details
that can be found in the local architecture.
While these elements speak to the historic
architecture, their configurations and intermixing
with glass talk to a more modern institution.
For example, the upper podium and the
patient tower rise above the masonry components,
and both are articulated with glassy curtain
walls adorned with a ceramic-frit pattern
that speaks to the iconic fog that emerges out of
Lake Superior. The curvature of the tower and
the podium volumes soften the building. Together,
these elements broadcast a contemporary
and cutting-edge image.
One of the project goals was to invigorate
downtown Duluth with engaging public
amenities. Why was this important and how
was it achieved?
The client leadership envisioned an institution
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Healthcare Design - August 2024

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