The University of Minnesota's Amplatz Children's Hospital has won an award in the American Institute of Architects' National Healthcare and Design competition. The architectural firm was Tsol/Kobus & Associates.
The competition notes the best in healthcare building design. The $175 million Amplatz hospital won in the B category -- which includes buildings that cost more than $25 million to build.
The six-story structure consolidates pediatric programs with inpatient units. It includes 96 private inpatient rooms, a sedation/observation unit, dialysis unit, pediatric emergency department, an expansion of the existing imaging department and surgical suite, family resource center, gift shop, and underground parking.
The judges said the hospital creates "the ideal environment in which to provide and receive children's healthcare." The building has "a distinctive identity for the hospital, immediately engaging visitors with its bright and playful exterior of multi-colored stainless steel panels."

Janet Moore covers commercial real estate for the Star Tribune. Photo courtesy of Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing Photography.