A team comprising Foster + Partners, CannonDesign, and Gilbane Building Company has designed a major healthcare addition to Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minnesota. The project, titled 'Bold. Forward. Unbound. in Rochester' features two new high-rise clinical buildings at the center of the campus.

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The new buildings measure nine stories to reach a height of 221 feet, with the potential to expand to 420 feet over time. A new central point of arrival is created by the buildings, with north and south drop-offs converging at a unified main entrance.

Above the central arrival point, a sky bridge horizontally links the two new buildings with the existing Gonda Building to improve wayfinding and circulation. The sky bridge is also part of a double-height ‘social amenity level’ providing patients and their family and friends with space to “rest, connect, and recharge.”

Inside, the buildings are arranged into ‘neighborhoods,’ uniting services around patient needs and specific diseases. Double-height winter gardens are located at the center of the neighborhoods, providing “light-filled spaces with spectacular views of the city” to promote respite and healing.

The buildings have been designed along a universal grid with generous floor-to-floor heights allowing for adaption over time. Supporting the delivery of services, a “highly flexible technology infrastructure” includes mechanical, data, and robotic delivery systems. According to the team, the integration of the digital infrastructure “blurs traditional distinctions between inpatient, outpatient, and virtual care to support patients throughout their healthcare journey.”

“This is a revolutionary moment for medical care and a complete rethinking of the traditional hospital building as we know it — offering maximum flexibility for future needs while ensuring that the interest of the patient remains at the heart of their healthcare,” Norman Foster said about the project. “Our design centers on natural light, views, and connections with nature — to facilitate new breakthroughs and help deliver the highest level of care, with warmth and compassion.”

News of the scheme comes one week after Foster + Partners’ 270 Park Avenue replacement topped out in Manhattan. Earlier this month, the firm also finished work on a revamped Penn State entrance, while designing a master plan in Hangzhou along a central leafy spine.