The new St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic in Duluth, Minn. embraces a healing healthcare setting inside and out. The design of the new outpatient clinic building promotes a healthy environment for patients, staff, and the community by following sustainable design principles. Daylight, views to nature, and a concern for patient privacy are important parts of creating a healing environment for patients.

The four-story, 225,000-square-foot addition to an existing hospital campus, which opened in October 2006, houses a cancer center, a digestive health center, a diagnostic imaging center/laboratory, and pediatric, internal medicine, and OB/GYN clinics. A donor-sponsored resource library provides patients and their families living with cancer a place of respite to review reference materials on-line as well as through printed and recorded materials.

The clinic is one of the nation’s first Gold Certified LEED healthcare facilities.

The building, located on an urban brownfield site overlooking Lake Superior, incorporates many green design concepts that promote the use of environmentally responsible and healthy building materials and practices – ranging from indoor air quality to recycling construction waste.

The team’s goal precluded using materials and products that are known to be harmful to human health or to have a negative environmental impact. For example, designers used paints, adhesives, stains, and finishes that are free of, or very low in, volatile organic compounds, which have been linked to a variety of health problems.

All interior furnishings, selected by the interior design team, were required to meet GREENGUARD certification. The mission of GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) is to improve public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air.

“A team mission statement was developed regarding the green, or as we call them healthy, aspects of the project’s design,” said David Urling, senior interior designer, HKS, Inc. “The statement recognized incorporating healthy building principles that enhance human health and environmental responsibility in all design, construction, and operational processes.”

The project team evaluated the life cycle impacts of green materials and systems including its initial cost and long-term durability with the goal of achieving a balance of operational, financial, and environmental concerns.

One example, interior finishes – such as wall coverings – that contain polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been replaced where possible (due to its negative impact on respiratory health) with more environmentally friendly materials such as wood pulp and wheat grass. Linoleum flooring, which is made from renewable materials such as linseed oil, pine, or other rosin material, is used in lieu of vinyl composition tile.

“The wood veneers, used in the building’s wall panels and millwork, were subject to the Forest Stewardship Council’s certification process – promoting responsible forest management,” said Urling. “A 52 percent reduction in water usage is achieved through such measures as the use of low-flow fixtures and no-irrigation landscaping. Energy consumption is reduced by 22 percent in part through the design of exterior walls to insulate against the harsh northern climate as well as the use of sensor-controlled lighting and shading systems.”

To mirror the sustainable design and construction efforts, the hospital has contributed by creating a green housekeeping program which includes the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products, relocating equipment from existing facilities for reuse in the new projects, and instituting its own recycling program.

The building’s organization is aimed at reducing patient stress. One of the ways designers are achieving this is by capitalizing on Lake Superior views. By maximizing patient views of the lake throughout the building, patients are allowed to connect with nature and associate with familiar surroundings.

“The client’s design philosophy is centered on a holistic approach to healing that focuses on creating an environment that consciously strives to reduce patient stress and promote a healthy environment for patients and staff,” said Robert Robbins, vice president and senior design architect, HKS, Inc. “The building is organized to allow simple and intuitive circulation for patients by creating a series of public spaces related to views of the lakeshore.

“A glass entry pavilion, outdoor garden space, and adjoining café form a gateway at the western end of the site to welcome patients –as they arrive by a sky bridge that connects to an adjacent parking garage and downtown beyond,” Robbins said. “Clinic reception areas and public elevator lobbies are organized around a multi-story atrium. The atrium is a unifying space at the center of the building that serves as a point of orientation.”

Major public circulation routes and special patient areas are also located along the building’s south side overlooking the lake. Service areas are grouped together at the lower level, which is efficiently tucked into the hillside – forming a podium for the levels above.

“Warm wood tones and the blues, grays, and greens of the Lake Superior shoreline are part of the hospital’s interior design,” said Urling. “We wanted to provide a soothing environment that reduces patient stress by relating to the surrounding landscape and lakeshore. The extensively glazed south elevation will reflect the changing nature of the sky and water which is one of the most striking aspects of the site. Water serves as a healing and relaxing element for the patient and their families.”

The building’s exterior expression reflects the hospital’s commitment to innovation and excellence. Cancer treatment, which is the building’s largest component, depends on advanced treatments and new discoveries. In turn, the building’s crisp, contemporary forms reflect that progressive attitude.

Since its founding in 1939, HKS has completed construction projects totaling more than $36 billion in more than 650 cities located in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 36 foreign countries.

Recent design projects include the Dallas Cowboys Stadium (Dallas, Texas); The Palazzo Casino & Resort (Las Vegas, Nev.); RadioShack Corporate Campus (Fort Worth, Texas); Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center’s Janet Sinegal Patient Care Building (Seattle, Wash.); Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite (Atlanta, Ga.); Whole Foods Market and Headquarters (Austin, Texas); the LEAR Corporation Headquarters (Southfield, Mich.); and W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences (Dallas, Texas).