KKE transforms '50s Medical Office Building -- Adds New Look, More Space

KKE designed a new era for Southdale Medical Building's healthcare facility, softening the sharp, sterile edges of the six-story, 1950's medical office building's glass and concrete box with an inviting curtainwall entry and soaring winged roof into a welcoming expansion. The two-story addition, strategically sited along the prominent elevation, enhances the original building and improves the visibility of its main entry within the context of recent development on an expanding medical campus.

"The growing demand for medical facilities is increasingly difficult to fulfill on existing sites where integration of services is desirable, but land is scarce," explains KKE's principal and designer, Todd Young, AIA, CID. "The Southdale Medical Center addition addresses this by expanding the first two floors of the six-story building, increasing the floorplate width from 53 feet to 89 feet. Thus, the lower floors accommodate the center's newest, largest, most heavily trafficked leaseholds, while the upper floors continue to accommodate smaller traditional Clinics."

The development, was completed under the development direction of Bruce Carlson, Advisory Director, and Dennis Zylla, Sr. Vice President of Grubb & Ellis | Northco Real Estate Services, Zylla observed that KKE's design for this addition to Southdale Medical Center "did an extraordinary job of elevating the building's position in an increasingly competitive market by improving the image, function and visibility of the older building. The addition/renovation is very patient friendly with a new comfortable lobby and handicap friendly entrance, plus it can now accommodate larger clinics by widening the range of leasehold sizes and ceiling heights available to serve the expanding health care mission of the Southdale Medical Center."

This 26,000-square-foot, $5.2 million addition and renovation to an occupied building was constructed by Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. Built on a tight schedule, construction needed to be managed to minimize disruption to existing medical Clinics, some of which were extremely sensitive to noise and vibration. Young emphasizes, "Issues such as structural attachment of the addition to the existing building needed special attention, as did exiting and life safety for non-ambulatory patients during construction. An extraordinary level of planning, in consultation with building officials and medical professionals, was required and achieved."

Taking cues from the adjacent buildings on this expanding medical campus, the Southdale Medical Center's main façade is clad in Minnesota limestone. Composite aluminum panels, tinted vision glass and matching spandrel glass complete the exterior. A substantial roof overhang and supporting structure shade west-facing glass from late-afternoon sun, and building materials are selected for long-term sustainability.

On the interior, the new lobby presents a fresh and inviting focal point within a multi-phase structure, providing a clear point of orientation in a structure built in five phases over a 50-year period and offering as a calming, restful waiting area for patients and visitors.

Completed in May 2008, the Southdale Medical Center accommodates the programmatic requirements of a variety of new and existing Clinics, including medical exam, medical imaging, office, and retail, with a visually unifying addition and renovation.

Southdale Medical Center: 6545 France Avenue South, Edina, MN 55435
Owner: SMB Operating Company LLC
Developer: Grubb & Ellis / Northco Real Estate Services
Architect and Interior Designer: KKE Architects, Inc.
General Contractor: Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Structural Engineer: Palanisami & Associates, Inc.
Mechanical Engineer: Metropolitan Mechanical contractors, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Sunde engineering, PLLC
Electrical Engineer: Gephart electric
Landscape Designer: Damon Farber Associates, Inc.

About KKE Architects, Inc.
KKE Architects, Inc. is a full-service firm providing a wide range of architectural, interior design and comprehensive planning services. Founded in 1968, this award-winning company has grown to become one of the Top 50 architectural firms in the country.

With offices in Minneapolis; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Tucson; Irvine and Pasadena, Calif., KKE's professional staff of more than 200 offers a unique blend of expertise across a broad range of strategically focused market segments encompassing Housing, Office, Retail, Industrial, Hospitality, Entertainment, Justice, Education and Healthcare design.

KKE continues to grow through an entrepreneurial spirit and a fundamental focus upon their clients' drivers…understanding their measure of success. For more information, visit www.kke.com.