Hennepin Healthcare Clinic and Specialty Center

The Hennepin Healthcare Clinic and Specialty Center (CSC) solved a complex challenge: unite 26 outpatient and specialty clinics, once spread across nine buildings and five city blocks, to improve the patient experience for a growing community. Today, more than 500,000 patients receive care each year in this 377,000-square-foot facility — the largest expansion in the history of Minneapolis–Saint Paul’s largest teaching hospital.

Opened in 2018, the CSC stands as a forward-looking model for how urban health systems can deliver more connected, accessible, and community-focused care.

Connecting Care to Minnesota’s Largest Trauma Center

Building next to Minnesota's largest emergency department and busiest Level I Trauma Center required extraordinary coordination to ensure uninterrupted lifesaving care. The CSC connects seamlessly to Hennepin County Medical Center’s Red Building via a skyway for patients and visitors and a tunnel for back-of-house operations — both built with intentional sequencing to maintain hospital operations during construction:

• Skyway installation: Completed in one weekend with carefully planned traffic reroutes that always kept emergency access open.
• Tunnel construction: Phased to maintain critical emergency room traffic lanes and to protect vital underground utilities, ultimately avoiding disruption to the downtown level 1 trauma center.

Additional measures for a safe and connected campus included:

• Helipad flight path coordination: Managed in sync with crane operations, with FAA and state approvals to prevent airspace conflicts.
• Strict infection control: Just-in-time deliveries and strict material handling kept the site clean and safe, abiding by the active hospital’s guidelines.
• Protecting neighborhood heritage: Vibration and crack monitoring safeguarded adjacent historic buildings throughout construction.
• Underground parking: Two levels with 260 stalls ensure convenient access for patients and families visiting this busy downtown campus.

Built Safer, Opening Sooner, Operating Smarter

The Mortenson team, in partnership with Hennepin Healthcare, embraced Lean construction practices to ensure quality, efficiency, and better value:

• Last Planner System: Instead of enforcing a “top-down” master schedule, the entire team — including trade partners and crew leads — was engaged early on to collaboratively plan work, reduce rework, and drive clear communication.
• Flow Scheduling: Through the Last Planner System methodology, the team deployed flow scheduling to ensure crews, equipment, and materials moved smoothly through the project without unnecessary stops or delays. Together, these techniques not only delivered interior work 11 weeks early — accelerating patient move-in and revenue — but also reduced jobsite congestion, contributing to a safer site with zero injuries during construction. The saved time also reduced project costs.
• Smarter facility documentation: The CSC team used 360-degree photo technology to capture detailed images of MEP systems hidden behind walls and ceilings. Each room’s photo sphere is indexed by number, streamlining maintenance for years to come.

A Long-term Vision for Integrated, Equitable Care

Combining dozens of specialties in one place allowed Hennepin Healthcare to improve the patient and staff experience while advancing their mission to deliver high-quality, equitable care for all. Patients benefit from seamless access to services ranging from dentistry and surgery to physical and occupational therapy and a comprehensive cancer center. This consolidation makes it easier for patients to move between appointments while helping providers coordinate truly integrated care.

Future-ready by design, the facility was built to support expansions for skyways, radiation therapy services, and additional operating rooms as patient needs grow.