MINNEAPOLIS—The Health Sciences Education Center at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is now complete.

The $83 million HSEC is the hub for all the university’s health professional school and was designed and built to promote interprofessional education and interaction, as well as foster a culture that prioritizes student and faculty well-being.

Spanning more than 200,000 square feet, HSEC is a unique addition to the U of M, already home to one of the most comprehensive health science centers in the nation. It’s also an asset that will benefit all Minnesotans, since the U of M teaches 70% of the state’s health professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and public health professionals.

“The new Health Sciences Education Center is much more than a building; it is a catalyst for change as we prepare the next generation of health care professionals,” said Mark Rosenberg, MD, vice dean for education and academic affairs in the Medical School, in a statement.

To welcome health science students to HSEC, the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost hosted a Welcome Week in mid September, with treats, giveaways and prize drawings. As part of the University’s efforts to mitigate its spread of COVID-19 on campus, physical distancing practices and facial coverings were required at all events.

“By preparing ourselves and our students for the future, we will have a significant impact on our state, our communities, and our personal and professional growth, all of which are closely aligned with our responsibility as a land grant University,” said Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, vice president for clinical affairs, in a statement.

To meet the academic needs of today’s health science students, HSEC is home to:

• state-of-the-art classrooms, designed for interprofessional learning with active learning and small group teaching spaces;
• the Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, which allows health professions students a space to connect, collaborate, network and develop;
• innovation and learning support through the Health Sciences Library and Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, which includes a rare book collection, virtual and augmented reality, makerspace and more to support problem-based learning;
• simulation and immersive training that allows health professional students to train in sophisticated, real-world care settings, trainer stations, briefing/debriefing rooms, and actor prep areas, and;
• student support and services.

Over the summer, HSEC was used in collaboration with the School of Public Health, Medical School, and the Medical Reserve Corps to assist the Minnesota Department of Health in COVID-19 contact tracing.

Also, M Simulation used HSEC spaces this past summer to train incoming residents and students on personal protective equipment in clinical environments. These are just the earliest examples of the building’s multipurpose usability and transformative potential for healthcare education.

“HSEC exemplifies the University’s commitment to academic and educational excellence,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson, in a statement.

“It will provide space for interprofessional education and relationship-building and will serve as a place where formerly distinct components of knowledge can be connected into an interrelated whole. Interprofessional collaboration is the future of health care, and this space is further demonstration of how Minnesota is creating that future.”

Minneapolis-based Perkins and Will and Connecticut-based SLAM designed HSEC and Kansas City-based JE Dunn served as the contractor.

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MINNEAPOLIS  — The University of Minnesota (UMN) in Minneapolis just completed a project so green that it won construction firm Adolfson & Peterson’s (AP) one of many awards at the Minnesota Construction Association (MCA) 23rd Annual Awards of Excellence Gala on Jan. 31.

The project included the renovation of the 104-year-old Main Energy Plant to add cutting-edge “co-generation” combined heat and power generation (CHPP) equipment to create a multi-functional building. The facility is 83 percent energy efficient (more than double the efficiency of a coal-fired power plant). The features of the power plant project are so unique and impressive, they won Adolfson & Peterson the MCA Award for Excellence for Green/Sustainable Project.

The new Main Energy Plant is connected to the Gopher substation as well as the university’s utility system, and generates electric power and steam for the Minneapolis campus. Fueled by natural gas, the Main Energy Plant will save the university an estimated net $2 million annually in utility operating costs and is a key investment in the university’s climate action plan to reduce campus emissions in half by the year 2020.

“The Main Energy Plant allows the Twin Cities to operate as an energy island so that critical university services at hospitals, clinics and research facilities can be maintained if there are external outage events,” said Jerome Malmquist, director of Energy Management at UMN, in a recent statement.

The updates on the main energy plant at UMN were made possible by a one-time $2 million rebate given to the school by the CenterPoint Energy Conservation Improvement Program. In addition, the UMN’s new Main Energy Plant received $10 million from the state in a 2012 bonding bill. The project, under regulation from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, began in early 2015.

UMN reinvested in the former Old Main Heating Plant to replace the old boilers with a new 22.8-megawatt combustion turbine and heat recovery system. While operating, it reduces the university’s net carbon footprint by an estimated 10 to 13 percent and will provide the university with a more reliable source of energy.

During the conversion of UMN’s old steam plant to the new state-of-the-art CHPP) required unique construction and installation solutions during the design on the East Bank site, according to a university statement from 2017. Permitting and construction phases included the need for significant hazardous material abatement, approval for the cliffside location overlooking a national scenic river and park and its placement in the middle of a dense urban area.

“The Main Energy Plant marries a historic site and decommissioned plant with world-class technology and environmental stewardship to support the University’s long-term research mission,” said Mike Berthelsen, vice president of University Services, in a statement. “This is an exciting step that allows us to lessen our carbon footprint, while ensuring continuity of operations to campus and saving the University money.”

During its construction, builders began placement of equipment for chilled water production so the plant can eventually grow to a full-service utility that will provide chilled water for air conditioning.The plant went commercial on Nov. 17, 2017.

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