Minnesota Departments of Agriculture and Health Orville L. Freeman Office Building
Saint Paul, MinnesotaThe Orville L. Freeman Office Building is a state-of-the-art collocation of two Minnesota Departments, with the goal of stimulating opportunities for shared information, knowledge and facilities. The Freeman Building is connected to the MDA/MDH Laboratory Building by skyway at the third level, further enhancing efficiency and communication. The architecture reflects the high degree of interaction between the MDA/MDH Orville L. Freeman Office Building and MDA/MDH Laboratory Building, and the office building/s civic and governmental role as the public face of two dynamic public agencies.
The creation of a humane, uplifting office environment was at the heart of the design process and informed the internal character and external form of the project.
The building includes a downscaled cafeteria and conference center, as well as multiple "Neighborhood Centers." The Neighborhood Center concept was designed to promote interaction between the two agencies and eliminate the former mass quantities of decentralized equipment and supplies. Construction for the 325,000 GSF building was completed in the fall of 2005.
HGA worked in collaboration with Pickard Chilton on this project. Pickard Chilton served as the Design Architect and HGA is the Architect-of-Record.
Minnesota Sustainable Design Guidelines B3, parallel to LEED Certified.