Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Foster + Partners, CannonDesign, and Gilbane Building Company, is embarking on a healthcare initiative named “Bold. Forward. Unbound.” in Rochester, Minn.
The multiyear project aims to revolutionize Mayo Clinic’s campus, integrating innovative care concepts and digital technologies to elevate patient experiences, drive medical breakthroughs, and enhance overall outcomes.
The centerpiece of the initiative involves the construction of two nine-story clinical buildings on the current Ozmun complex and Damon Ramp sites, reaching an initial height of 67.4 m (221 ft), with potential expansion to 128 m (420 ft) over time. This architectural endeavor establishes a centralized point of arrival, merging north and south drop-offs into a unified main entrance, extending the existing Gonda Lobby for improved wayfinding and a welcoming atmosphere.
A distinctive feature of the project is a skybridge connecting the new buildings to the existing Gonda Building. This design facilitates effective collaboration among Mayo Clinic’s multidisciplinary care teams, with the clear and easily identifiable skybridge level enhancing campus navigation.
The project prioritizes patient services by creating dynamic care “neighborhoods.” These community-centered spaces streamline patient experiences and align with Mayo Clinic’s collaborative care model, offering continuous care environments tailored to patient needs and diseases.
The design incorporates double-height winter gardens at the heart of care neighborhoods, providing light-filled spaces with panoramic city views, promoting healing and collaboration. A universal grid system with adaptable floor-to-floor heights enables clinical spaces to evolve over time, accommodating the ever-changing landscape of healthcare.
Behind the scenes, flexible technological infrastructure supports innovative treatments, integrating mechanical, data, and robotic delivery systems. This fusion of digital capabilities breaks down traditional distinctions between inpatient, outpatient, and virtual care.
“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 the interest of the patient remains at the heart of their healthcare. 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,” says Norman Foster, founder and executive chairman, Foster + Partners.
