The Mayo Clinic Health Facility in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, was among nine Best in Class winners of the 2015 Brick in Architecture Awards. The Brick Industry Association’s awards honor outstanding, innovative and sustainable architecture that incorporates clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material.
Serving a largely farming region in a city that has evolved into an exurban community, the $28-million replacement hospital project more than tripled the healthcare facility’s size, to 80,000 square feet with 15‐beds and a 36‐exam room primary and specialty care clinic.
The choice of brick gives the facility of sense of permanence and stature sited on the 51‐acre wooded site. Choosing tones of tan and beige for the entry façade set against a main palette of red brick for the central core, the aesthetic takes on the characteristics of stone familiar to residents in the region at a lower cost than stone.
The brick and colors blend in with the surrounding environment, allowing the facility to grow out of the hillside while also becoming a natural part of the landscape. The earth‐tone brick colors are then picked up inside the facility to give patients and staff a warm and comfortable environment for receiving and delivering care.
Mayo Clinic Health Facility—Cannon Falls, Minnesota Project Team
Architect: BWBR
Contractor: Boldt Construction
Manufacturer: The Belden Brick Company
Mason Contractor: J & K Masonry
Structural Engineer: Ericksen Roed and Associates
MEP Engineer: Dunham Associates Civil
Landscape Engineers: SRF Consulting
