Mortenson Selects Design Team for Discovery Square

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mortenson today announced that it has selected the design team of RSP Architects and HOK for the first phase of a Destination Medical Center (DMC) Discovery Square in Rochester, Minn. Discovery Square will be a densely populated and highly connected urban life science hub, attracting the world's leading medical practitioners, educators, researchers and businesses owners. They will come together to share ideas, build and test new products, and bring companies to scale with access to Mayo Clinic and other strategic stakeholders. The goal of this Discovery Square project is to bring early solutions to patients through accelerated research.

"RSP and HOK share our vision for Discovery Square and are committed to an inclusive design process," said Jeremy Jacobs, development executive at Mortenson. "We welcome them to our team as we move forward on this tremendous project that will successfully bring together life science research, education, technology and innovation in Rochester."

RSP and HOK bring unparalleled, world-class design experience to the project. The firms were selected from more than 10 national and local teams that competed to work on Discovery Square. RSP and HOK will join Mortenson and a team of prominent local consultants to develop a biological and life sciences research building within the 20-block DMC sub-district. Phase 1 is estimated to be between 60,000 and 120,000 square-feet. Groundbreaking on the project is planned for late 2017.

"We've gathered the best of the best, with expertise and experience across every aspect of this high profile project," said Jon Buggy, AIA, principal, RSP Architects. "Working together, Discovery Square will authentically represent both Mayo Clinic and Rochester and make us all proud."

RSP has served as a strategic partner for clients like Mayo Clinic and Hormel Institute for 20 years. The Minnesota firm's healthcare, corporate, and science and technology teams have completed over 300 projects for Mayo alone ranging from complex high tech projects like the National Precision Medicine Biobank to the master plan of Mayo's Library located in the iconic Plummer building. In the past year, RSP also completed an expansion of The Hormel Institute, a world-class cancer research facility plus a new research and development facility for Hormel Foods. Mortenson and RSP recently partnered on Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota Center for Magnetic Resonance.

"Development of Discovery Square is a major step forward for Mayo and the world of life science research," said Eli Hoisington, AIA, LEED AP, HOK's design principal. "Discovery Square will be a bridge to the mission of Mayo Clinic, serving as an extension of Mayo Clinic's team-based medical model and providing a new 'address' for the future of life science, research, education, technology and innovation. We are extremely excited about this opportunity to bring our experience designing innovative research environments to this globally important project."

HOK's Science + Technology group is a global leader in designing research facility and laboratory buildings that advance innovative scientific discovery. The firm's recent projects include the Francis Crick Institute in London, the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, the University of Chicago William Eckhardt Research Center, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and multiple projects at the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis. 

"Mortenson, RSP and HOK will be ideal partners to spearhead both the physical and cultural environments necessary for Discovery Square to succeed," said Lisa Clarke, executive director, DMC Economic Development Agency. "This is another key milestone for DMC. Mayo Clinic and other private businesses are harnessing the energy of Rochester's robust and innovative community to position the city, region and state for economic growth."

For more information on DMC, including its sub-districts, visit http://dmc.mn/maps/#discoverySquare.

About RSP
For nearly 40 years, RSP has delivered design that works for a diverse range of clients. The 350-person architectural firm is headquartered in Minneapolis with offices in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix, Arizona; Fort Worth, Texas; and Bangalore, India. Two specialty studios round out the practice: RSP i_SPACE, a proprietary consultancy service specializing in facility information management and RSP Dreambox, an experiential research, consulting and graphic design studio.

About HOK
HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Through a network of 23 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people's lives and help clients succeed. DesignIntelligence consistently ranks HOK as a leader in sustainable, high-performance design and technology innovation.

About Mortenson
Founded in 1954, Mortenson is a U.S.-based, family-owned construction and development services company. As one of the nation's top builders, Mortenson provides a complete range of construction services, including planning, program management, preconstruction, general contracting, construction management and design-build. The company also is a leader in real estate development, developing all asset types.

Mortenson has operations across North America with offices in Chicago, Denver, Fargo, Iowa City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and in Canada. For more information, visit mortenson.com.

SOURCE Mortenson