University of Minnesota, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain

Translational Research and Care Destination for Adolescent Neurodevelopment

A destination for neurodevelopmental research, clinical care, education, and community inclusion engagement and outreach, MIDB is an unprecedented combination of functions that will foster collaboration and innovative research.  The Institute will support scholarly work through the lens of cross-disciplinary teams and metrics to study early childhood and adolescent neurobehavioral health in new and exciting ways.

The project presented an opportunity to support collaboration and create synergies across functions that had rarely shared physical space while reflecting and accommodating the diverse behavioral and neurological conditions of patients and research participants.

The team developed a program in close collaboration with various stakeholder groups to integrate research and clinical spaces and share resources to maximize the potential of the existing building. Stacking program elements vertically created connections between clinicians and researchers and maximizes opportunities for collaboration, or positive “collision” between these functions.

Through research and user engagement, the design team created spaces that support the diverse sensory needs of participants, patients, and their families.  Areas of different size and visual design were strategically placed to provide moments of adjustment, ease of wayfinding, appropriate levels of privacy, and positive distraction through graphics and texture.

The workplace design is focused on creating community and supporting the staff by providing a variety of collaboration spaces and private workspaces. The community outreach and education components of the project include telehealth areas and spaces for conferences, training, and community education.  Scholars, community partners, and policy makers will be able to share resources, integrate existing talent, foster new collaborations, and pioneer new research and service delivery approaches to improve early brain health and ensure optimal adult outcomes.

The project was designed under Minnesota’s Sustainability Guidelines (B3 v3.1) and meets the goals of many of the AIA Framework for Design Excellence categories including design for Integration, Equitable Communities, Economy, wellbeing and Resources.