Tag: RSP Architects

Discovery Walk: A place of connection

March 1, 2018General

Though skylines are often the most recognizable feature of notable American cities, the activity taking place on the ground is where we find the human-to-human connections that make up the true heart of a community. Destination Medical Center – together with community leaders, business owners, engaged citizens, and the City of Rochester – is strategically exploring the best ways to nurture life and activity at street level.

“Discovery Walk” is the public realm that runs along four blocks of 2^nd Avenue Southwest (from the Heart of the City at 2^nd Street to Soldiers Field Park at 6^th Street). The plan is to transform the underused and uninviting two-lane street into a tree-lined, multi-use linear parkway.

Students impact the future of Heart of the City

May 30, 2017General

A happy, healthy city that’s walkable, has plenty of parks, and offers ample public transportation. Sounds like a great place to live, doesn’t it?

Future City is a project-based learning program for middle school students where they can explore, imagine, create, and ultimately build a city of the future. Together, the students design the city, research and write its description, build the physical model, develop a project plan, and introduce the city to the judges during a seven-minute presentation.

Press Release: First Building Announced in Discovery Square

April 27, 2017Press Releases

ROCHESTER, Minn. (Apr. 27, 2017) – Representatives from Mortenson announced today to members of the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) Board of Directors the specific location where construction will take place on its hallmark Discovery Square project.The planned 60,000+ square foot, state-of-the-art research and development complex, currently being designed by RSP Architects and HOK, will be built at the corner of 4th Street SW and 2nd Avenue SW, according to Mortenson representative Jeremy Jacobs.

An integral part of the DMC vision, the 16-block sub-district in downtown Rochester known as Discovery Square will become one of the leading life science research campuses in the United States. The densely organized, mixed-use neighborhood will consist of life science businesses, new start-ups, and residential options anchored by a signature space.

Discovery Square will be a bridge to the mission of Mayo Clinic, serving as an extension of the Mayo Clinic’s team-based model of care and providing a new address for the future of life science, research, education, technology, and innovation. Over the next 20 years, Discovery Square is expected to expand Mayo’s research and product development space by more than two million square feet.

In 2016, Mayo Clinic selected Mortenson Company as its development partner for the first phase of its Discovery Square initiative. In January, Mortenson selected RSP Architects and HOK to design the facility. Mortenson expects to begin construction later this year and complete the project by 2019.

“The DMC vision for Discovery Square is coming to life,” said Lisa Clarke, executive director of the Destination Medical Center. “The vibrant life sciences hub will bring forward-thinking business professionals, students, educators, and innovators from around the world together in Rochester to accelerate research, improve delivery, and advance patient care.”

The next scheduled meeting of the DMCC Board of Directors will take place on July 27, 2017.

###

Post-Bulletin: Interviews reveal design conundrum for DMC

December 7, 2016General

In leading a public space design project for Destination Medical Center’s Heart of the City district, RSP Architects and RSP Principal Jon Buggy have promised solutions that are “authentic” to Rochester.

As the consultant team has found out in the research and interview stage of its design process, “authentic” might mean a few different things to Rochester’s mix of residents, employees and the millions of people who visit the city each year.

Continue reading original article >

Destination Medical Center Corporation Board Takes Major Step Forward on Heart of the City

August 25, 2016Press Releases

ROCHESTER, Minn. (August 25, 2016) – At today’s board meeting, the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Corporation Board of Directors took a major step forward on DMC’s Heart of the City sub-district by approving the recommendation of the Heart of the City Community Advisory Committee to select RSP Architects as the design team for public space in Heart of the City. The DMC Corporation Board also was updated on the latest progress of the Discovery Square sub-district and transportation.

“The Heart of the City district is an essential part of our strategy to ensure Rochester’s place as America’s City for Health,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith, DMC Corporation Board Chair. “It will be the place where Mayo Clinic, medical innovation, new business and hospitality opportunities, and housing choices all meet. Today’s announcement takes us a step closer to this goal.”

Following the meeting, the DMC Corporation Board toured the recently reopened Conley-Maass Building located in Discovery Square and met with the building’s tenants and collaborators.

Heart of the City: Where healthcare meets hospitality

August 16, 2016General

Progress continued in the Heart of the City today as the Community Advisory Committee made its recommendation for the team charged with designing the DMC sub-district’s public space.

HeartOfTheCity That recommendation is RSP Architects, a Minneapolis-based architectural firm with offices in Rochester, Phoenix, and other locations, and includes Coen Partners (Twin Cities), which will serve as lead landscape architect; 9.Square (Rochester), which will provide urban design, architecture, planning, and community engagement; HR&A Advisors (New York), which will provide open space development, management, and strategy services; and Kimley-Horn (St. Paul and Rochester), which will provide civil engineering, transportation, and DMC plan continuity.

Post-Bulletin: Panel recommends Heart of City design firm

August 15, 2016General

A commitment to dream and a promise to inspire won RSP Architects a recommendation from a public advisory body to lead public space design in the Destination Medical Center sub-district Heart of the City.

The Heart of the City Community Advisory Committee on Monday interviewed representatives from three design firms to advance the vision of Heart of the City, a public space that is centered on Rochester’s Peace Plaza.

The committee agreed to recommend a design team led by RSP Architects, of Minneapolis. The recommendation will be reviewed by the Destination Medical Center Corp. Board of Directors and the Rochester City Council for final approval. The DMC Corp. board meets next on Aug. 25 and the council will consider the recommendation at its Sept. 7 meeting.